october 2010 online version explore the regions independence day of azerbaijan2 mag ine october 2010october 2010 mag ine 34 mag ine october 2010 happy birthday to us! we can hardly believe that it has been 12 months since we got our hands on the first issue of az magazine. many sleepless nights were had but here we are, still going strong! the old adage, “time flies when you’re having fun” couldn’t be more apt for us as we have had great fun in producing the magazine each month. it is amazing to see in that time how much has changed in azerbaijan: the long-awaited transformation of fountain square and molakan gardens, the tallest flag pole in the world being erected, british high street brands opening in baku, an ex-arsenal legend in the shape of tony adams heading up gabala fc and much to my other half’s delight, the highly anticipated arrival of kfc. personally, i am noticing much to my disdain, a few new wrinkles or should i say, laughter lines (ahem) and the odd strand of grey hair. as i celebrate 4 years of living in azerbaijan at the start of november, i guess i can’t complain too much… many of us have said goodbye to close friends and colleagues over the last 12 months and it is notably much quieter on the expat scene as a whole. one thing that i have noticed though is that the number of parties and amount of socailising has not dipped. as a tribute, we have delved into our archives and put together our favourite pictures from the last year. have a look and see if you can find yourself. talking of events, both the poppy ball and st. andrews ball are coming up in november. look out for their adverts in the events section and make sure you buy your tickets in plenty of time! stay warm this month and don’t forget; the clocks go back one hour on sunday october 31st - that means an extra hour in bed (or the pub!). featured writer: steve hollier steve started his career working for a firm of london stockbrokers. after university he retrained as a potter and eventually wound up writing arts policy for local government. several years later, he changed direction once again running his own garden design business. steve is a musician, loves to travel and is a keen photographer. editor in chief lynn craig lynn@ az-magazine.com office & advertising manager kamala ismayilli kamala@az-magazine.com design manager emil aliyev emil@az-magazine.com designer teymur aliyev tima@az-magazine.com photographer katya jukova translator aygun samedova contributors: ulya aliyeva, richard ciezarek, hugh cochrane, education and training international, terry guthrie, steve hollier, sarah johnson, aygun samedova, anoosh sharghi, kevin stephenson, mark thomas and our regular monthly columnists. www.az-magazine.com az magazine tel.: 994 12 493 4369 info@az-magazine.com the views and opinions expressed by the contributors and advertisers of this magazine may not represent the views of the publishers. az magazine takes no responsibility for claims made by any advertisements in this magazine. copying or reproducing this magazine is prohibited unless written permission has been given by the publishers. all images and text within this magazine remain the copyright of the photographer, writer or agency. lynn craig, editor in chief magazine magazinebakuoctober 2010 mag ine 5 baku 6 four pianos a trip to the theatre 8 independence day october 18th is an important date in azerbaijan’s history 10 the auld enemy the annual expat scotland v england football match lifestyle 12 healthy lifestyle keep your body in prime condition 14 problem page no nonsense advice from uncle bob 16 gadget geek the ultimate toys for boys sport 18 qabala fc assistant coach gary stevens, gets technical food 22 restaurant review a taste of japan in seto travel 26 lahic a trip to the mountains 28 ivanovka experience this stunning village business 30 hot seat david lawson gets a grilling azerbaijan 32 language lesson birthday celebrations! 34 müstəqillik günü birlik oyunlarının tarixi 37 dil dərsi dünyəvi mərasimlər interest 38 scary azeri in suburbs blogs from the culture clash queen 40 speed demon the second installment of mark thomas’s race diary 44 man to man what’s on his mind this month? charity 46 run morocco 2010 raising awareness of motor neurone disease events 48 a year in pictures look back at the last 12 months of partying in baku 56 book party hg2 baku is launched in azerbaijan 58 oktoberfest baku celebrates the german festival 60 queen’s birthday party the british embassy host a reception for her majesty the queen 62 wedding bells seymur and ipak say, “i do” 63 internations expats meet in chinar 64 german unity day the german embassy host their annual event contents october 20106 mag ine october 2010 baku four grand pianos the four steinway concert grand pianos filled the stage of the concert hall and were an overwhelming spectacle in themselves. full marks to the organisers for collecting together four musical mammoths of such outstanding quality, and to the poor piano tuner who had to get them to sound like a single instrument. the four musicians were all soloists in their own right; alexander gindin (russia), sergey kudryakov (russia), david lively (usa) and jeroen van veen (holland). the ensemble was conducted by artem markin (russia). although three of the works were conducted by markin, his role seemed more to do with keeping the ensemble together rather than leading them in any meaningful sense. the real leader was gindin, a formidable interpreter of grand romantic music and a graduate of the moscow state tchaikovsky conservatory. he came to prominence in the 1990’s after winning both the prestigious tchaikovsky and queen elisabeth piano competitions. the ensemble threw themselves straight into the musical deep-end with a rendition of the overture to wagner’s opera tannhauser in an arrangement by c. burchardi. how you might ask, can you possibly play wagner without brass or string instruments? how can the plaintive call of tannhauser’s leitmotif be translated into the percussive sound of a piano, let alone the crashing waves of emotion that are associated with the master of german opera? the answer of course is that they could not. even with the combined might of four steinway ds, the sound than was emitted was more like several glass chandeliers being shaken than a mighty thunderstorm. the concertante for four pianos in c major by carl czerny was a different matter. czerny was a child prodigy and at ten, a pupil of beethoven and teacher of liszt. he was a prolific composer including some works for eight pianos (yes eight), being played by four hands each! clearly, this man knew his stuff and it showed. the themes and variations of the piece were tossed like a handball from musician to musician, each showering notes over the audience like a waterfall of sound. gindin led the piece, this time without the help of conductor markin, and ably assisted by david lively - an american pianist of remarkable technical skill who played with delicate grace. after the interval, the ensemble began with les jeux by claude debussy in an arrangement by maarten bon, a dutch composer who died in 2003. to my ear, this piece was the most successful of the evening though full of strange chords and mild dissonance, akin to stravinsky’s rite of spring that was composed around the same time. images of notes as water droplets or fragments of ice came to mind, as once again the audience was held captive by shimmering notes and technical excellence. the grand finale was the bolero by ravel. the piece begins with a twisting, slightly tortured theme that builds and builds to a crescendo and final release of tension. this arrangement by french composer jacques drillon, emphasised the almost hypnotic nature of the theme, with seemingly endless repetitions, each one slightly louder and more passionate. again, gindin took the lead, looking more and more tortured each time he repeated the theme. like les jeux, bolero was originally conceived as ballet music and both express primal emotions. while the rendition was certainly full of power and emotional charge, it lacked the orchestral colour that marks the better-known version. all the pianists could do was to play the theme progressively louder and with more emotion. that in a nutshell was the problem with the concert as a whole. where did it succeed was when the composer or arranger used his musical forces sparingly and emphasised the bright, percussive sound that is the hallmark of a piano. at the end of the day, more is not necessarily better but overall, the evening was remarkable and one i for one would not have wanted to miss it. i recently attended a concert at the philharmonic hall that was as bizarre as it was entertaining. as part of the orchestral music festival marking the 125th anniversary of the birth of azerbaijan’s national composer uzeir gadzhibekov, the organisers invited an ensemble of four concert pianists to perform works by wagner , czerny, debussy and ravel. in nearly forty years of concert going, i have never seen such a sight nor heard such renditions. by steve hollier and a conductoroctober 2010 mag ine 7 baku8 mag ine october 2010 baku october 18th independence day of azerbaijan it all started in the year of 1988. there was a confused tumult within several soviet states. people sensed that something was changing, something different was happening. that atmosphere of something different reached its final stage in 1990, with more than 200,000 people taking part in massive-scale protests in baku, the capital. on january 20th, soviet troops entered the city in a bid to bring the protests to an abrupt stop. the troops opened fire and killed hundreds of demonstrators, and tv stations were shut down. then the rumours started. across the country, communist party members openly burned membership cards when news of the demonstrators’ deaths spread. there were further mass protests accompanying the funerals. with a similarly troubled state of discontent in neighbouring georgia, as well as in latvia and lithuania, the government acted. during the soviet era, young pupils studying at school were known as pioneers, and wore red ties in support of the then-government. when news of independence spread over the region, fellow pupils tore to pieces their ties. for a number of months there was no television broadcasts after the january 20th events, but video cassettes showing the major events of the movement for independence were sent out. the process of independence began. the government reorganised itself and in september 1991, a referendum was held in which the vote for independence was more than 90%. on october 18th, 1991, the parliament of the then-soviet azerbaijan formally approved the constitutional act that brought independence to azerbaijan and it was later ratified by the referendum held on december 30th of that same year, establishing the third republic. the constitutional act comprised the fundamental principles of political and economic relations, including the following: - the sole source of state power in the azerbaijan republic is the people of azerbaijan - the sovereign right of the azerbaijani people is the right of free and independent determination of their destiny; the people of azerbaijan exercise their sovereign right directly – by way of nationwide voting – referendum and through their representatives elected based on universal, equal and direct suffrage by way of free, secret and personal ballot - the state guarantees equality of rights and liberties of everyone, irrespective of race, nationality, religion, language, sex, origin, financial position, occupation, political convictions, membership in political parties, trade unions and other public organisations. rights and liberties of a person, citizen cannot be restricted due to race, nationality, religion, language, sex, origin, conviction, political and social belonging - no part of the territory of azerbaijan republic may be estranged. the azerbaijan republic will not give any part of its territory to anybody; the state borders of the azerbaijan republic might be changed only by the free decision of its peoples made by way of referendum declared by the parliament of azerbaijan republic. with this act, the republic of azerbaijan became an independent state once again, after 71 years of being part of ussr as a second republic. after parliament ratified the act on october 18th, azerbaijan formally became an independent state, with the former leader of the central committee as its first president. azerbaijan declared herself as an ancestor of the azerbaijan democratic republic, founded in 1918, the first democratic republic in the muslim world. previously, the azerbaijan every year on october 18th, azerbaijan marks the anniversary of parliament’s 1991 declaration of independence from the ussr. by aygun samedovaoctober 2010 mag ine 9 baku democratic republic (adr) became the first-ever parliamentary republic with the leadership of mahammad amin rasulzade. the republic existed from may 28th, 1918 until april 28th, 1920, and was also known as the first republic. despite that the first independent republic of azerbaijan existed for a short period of time, adr achieved a great deal including: creation of the national army, independent financial and economic systems and international diplomatic relations within a number of states. during the first year of its existence, the government opened a number of primary and secondary schools. they also introduced suffrage to women, making azerbaijan the first muslim state in the world to give women the same political rights as men. azerbaijan’s national flag was created, which included three stripes: blue (turkic), red (modernism) and green (islamic) with a crescent and eight-pointed star. well-known azerbaijani poet ahmad javad, together with world famous azerbaijani composer uzeyir hajibeyov, composed the national anthem. the national tricolour flag and the anthem of azerbaijan, prohibited by the soviet regime, were finally restored when the republic gained its independence. when azerbaijan regained its independence in 1991, it proved once more the words said by rasulzade. appealing to the generation that were to be born after him, he wrote: “the generation who came before you created a flag, a saint symbol of an ideal, a flag once risen will never fall again! you will either gain your independence or give your life at the altar of freedom!” the independence movement was under immense pressure culminating in the tragedy on the evening of january 19th, 1990; a bloody massacre in azerbaijan’s capital of baku authorised by then-president of soviet union mikhail gorbachev, when hundreds of civilians were killed in what became to be known as the black january (officially recognised on january 20th). despite all of the difficulties, the azerbaijani nation continued the struggle for the independence and succeeded in this fight. however, the path to independence was a difficult one, as the newly established azerbaijani republic faced military conflict, occupation of azerbaijani lands by armenian aggressors, as well as social and economic difficulties that are characteristic of the transition period. all of these obstacles made the path to independence thorny and difficult. on march 2nd, 1992, azerbaijan was admitted to the united nations within internationally recognised territorial borders, including the nagorno-karabakh region. at school, the soviet history lessons ceased to exist and azerbaijani history and world history classes took its place and texts for national education were changed. a new way of looking at culture was observed. the regeneration of azerbaijan began at the end of the 1990’s. new buildings started to spring up, especially in baku. while the soviet ones had been brown and grey, these new ones were deliberately quite the opposite, in bright colours. other, older buildings were also re-painted colourfully in this new spirit. this gradual arising was aroused in part by azerbaijan’s now state-owned natural resources of gas and oil, and the massive investment that new contracts with western companies - agreed in 1994. previously, all this wealth has simply been added to the international soviet budget. even the james bond film the world is not enough, had scenes shot in the capital. once again, baku had recaptured its beauty. today, as azerbaijan celebrates 18 years of the re-establishment of independence, the country still faces many challenges on the way to democratisation and integration into the world economy. however, the foundation of democratic values and principles, marked by the state independence day and the heritage of the first republic - the adr, continues to serve as the symbol of the independent movement of a democratic azerbaijan. wishing all azerbaijani people to continue to remember its great history, and work in sync to build a better future. happy independence day!10 mag ine october 2010 history the expat auld enemy game is not new to baku – the first game was held back in 2005. thereafter, the match was held in 2006, 2007, and now, in 2010. scotland manager richard ciezarek, approached one of the organisers, hugh cochrane and along with the england manager, kevin stephenson, it was agreed to resurrect the legendary event. the big day with the teams agreed and the thankfully neutral azerbaijani officials booked in, the date arrived, but not before a last minute drama… the morning of sunday 12th saw the sun shining and temperatures in the mid-20’s but just 24 hours earlier, baku endured a torrential downpour, causing the pitch to flood! it seemed that some nervous players had their prayers for a last minute cancellation answered but the lord works in mysterious ways. a pitch inspection was called for on sunday morning under the watchful, if not unbiased, eye of the tisa grounds man, seconded by the naturally biased john patterson; an english player. once the pitch was cleared for play, it was game on. previous results: 2005 - england 1 scotland 1 2006 - england 1 scotland 2 2007 - england 1 scotland 3 with scotland’s record, england had it all to play for… the game turned out to be a classic; on a knife edge to the very end. england led 2-1 at half time but with 5 minutes to go before the final whistle, scotland equalised and then in the dying last two minutes, scotland scored the winner! final score: scotland 3 – england 2. baku the auld enemy 2010 crowds gathered at tisa’s playing field on sunday september12th to witness a clash of the mighty titans…england v scotland. (be prepared if you are english…you may not like the outcome!). azerbaijani match officials england 2010 side scotland 2010 side raring to go! england’s dave hatfield marks his man its all friendly - for now... rod fraser scores scotland’s first from the penalty spotoctober 2010 mag ine 11 baku the tartan army on tour! organiser and scotland supporter , hugh cochrane the english players are gracious in defeat england’s keeper and man of the match, steve cliffe england prepare to deflect england’s chris cubit he was offside!!! scotland’s chris mckenzie is on a charge england’s john patterson, takes a quick breather scotland keeper dave lawson, cuts a lonely figure! england 2010 kevin stephenson (captain), steve cliffe, david scarr, andrew herbert, peter miller, colin beedle, tony alcock, andy bliss, dave shaw, geoff sutton, dave hatfield, vince cassidy, darren bonney, chris cubit, john patterson, kevin stephenson (junior), john block, david da silva, michael dean and james bonney. goal scorers: john block and michael dean. scotland 2010 john howie (captain), richard ciezarek (player/manager), danny lee, sandy jack, massimo giorgetti, david lawson, john mcdonald, chris mckenzie, sean cranham, gavin mathieson, keith bean, bob mcewan, con doherty, kevin denton, rod fraser, stuart cochrane, graime craib, simon smith and robert hancock. goal scorers: rod fraser – pen, simon smith - 2 goals. a special mention must go to scotland’s “most mature” player who was on the pitch when they scored the equaliser to make it 2-2, con doherty. post match celebrations after the match, players and fans descended upon the clansman where the medals and cup were presented to the winning team. man of match was deservedly awarded to england goalkeeper, steve cliffe for his outstanding play. celebrations carried on through to the wee hours with no doubt plenty of headaches on monday morning, to match the aching muscles! the organisers would like to thank the following sponsors who without their generosity, the event would have not been possible: • football tops - scopus • cup and medals - laser gulf • football ground donation - tisa • transport - bosshelf • ground beer tent - dave herbert • water - clansman • match officials - the office • after game menu – clansman. money from the donation box for the beer at tisa and all other contributions will be donated to a chosen charity. the organisers and players would also like to say a big thank you to all of the supporters who turned out to cheer them on and in helping to make the day such a huge success. see you next year!12 mag ine october 2010 lifestyle what is “health”? back in 1948, the world health organisation defined health as “a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity”. ok, that sounds fine but what does “complete…mental and social welbeing” actually mean? we need to be perfectly happy and in full physical health all the time? if so, then all of us fail the test! in 1986, the defination was redefined as “a positive concept emphasising social and personal resources, as well as physical capacities.” better, i suppose but not something you could really use in every day life. you would hardly ask your best friend how they were feeling in terms of their “social and personal resources”… right, lets start again, then. specific aspects of your overall “health” include your physical health, referring to body health and your mental health, which may be considered “good” if you display an absense of mental disorder. a report published in canada in 1974 suggested that there were four basic factors that determined “human health”, those being human biology, environment, lifestyle, and the quality of healthcare services. “health” it was argued, is maintained and improved not only through the advancement and application of health science but also through the “efforts and intelligent lifestyle choices of the individual and society”. so, the responsibility for overall health had to be shared between the state and the individual. the “lalonda” report is considered by many to be the first modern government document in the western world to acknowledge that the emphasis previously placed solely upon a biomedical health care system is wrong and that we need to look beyond it if we want to improve the health of everyone. water and the built environment a major environmental factor affecting health is water quality, especially for the health of infants and children in developing countries. in addition, studies have shown that in such countries, the lack of neighbourhood recreational space has lead to lower levels of neighbourhood satisfaction and higher levels of obesity. social activity your personal health depends partially on the social relationships within your life. the maintenance of strong social relationships is linked to good health conditions, longevity, productivity, and a positive attitude. this is due to the fact that positive social interaction is considered by many doctors to increase many chemical levels in the brain, which are linked to personality and intelligence. hygiene hygiene is the practice of keeping your body clean to prevent infection and illness healthcare professionals are always telling us that we should “live a healthy lifestyle” but what does that really mean? is “healthy” the same thing for a twenty-year old man as a sixty year-old woman? does “being healthy,” mean the same thing for everyone? in this article, we will look at some definitions of “healthy” and try and come to some conclusions that make sense for an average person living in contemporary azerbaijan. what is a healthy lifestyle? by steve hollier part 1october 2010 mag ine 13 and the avoidance of contact with sub-stances that can cause infection. hygenic practices include bathing, brushing and flossing teeth, washing hands especially be-fore eating and after using the toilet. it also includes washing food before it is eaten, cleaning food preparation utensils and sur-faces before and after preparing meals. stress prolonged stress negatively affects the health of most people and can make the symptoms of both physical and mental ill-ness more debilitating. stress management is the application of methods to either reduce stress or increase tolerance to stress. relaxation techniques such as massage and yoga are physical methods used to relieve stress. psychological methods include cognitive therapy, meditation, and positive thinking. improving the skills and abilities you need in your every day life builds confidence, which also reduces stress. health care public health may be thought of as the science of preventing disease and prolonging life. its focus should be to prevent rather than treat a disease through the promotion of healthy behaviours. vaccination programmes and the distribution of contrceptives are examples of public health measures. diet a healthy diet is one that helps you maintain or improve your health and is an important factor in the prevention of many chronic disease such as: obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. a healthy diet involves consuming appropriate amounts of all nutrients, and an adequate amount of water. nutrients can be obtained from many different foods, so there are a wide variety of diets that may be considered “healthy”. the world health organisation (who) makes the following five recommendations when it comes to a healthy eating: 1. eat only enough food to allow you to complete your days work and retain a healthy weight 2. limit your overall consumptions of all fats and move away from eating saturated fat (such as butter and lard) to unsaturated fats (such as vegetable and olive oil) 3. increase your consumption of fruit and vegetables, beans, whole grains and nuts 4. limit your intake of refined sugars 5. limit your consumption of salt and don’t add it to precooked food. exercise physical exercise is important for maintaining physical fitness and can contribute positively to maintaining a healthy weight, building and maintaining healthy bone density, muscle strength, and joint mobility, promoting physiological well-being, reducing surgical risks, strengthening the immune system and the prevention of osteoparosis. frequent and regular aerobic exercise has been shown to help prevent or treat serious and life-threatening chronic conditions such as high blood pressure, obesity, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, insomnia, and depression. in the long term, exercise is beneficial to the brain by: 1. increasing the blood and oxygen flow to the brain 2. increasing growth factors that help create new nerve cells 3. increasing the production of endorphins, leading to a “feel good” effect. conclusion “all things in moderation” said the lama in lost horizon by james hilton and that seems to hold true in the development of a healthy lifestyle as well. if you had to boil this article down to a few points that would guarantee you a “healthy” lifestyle they would be: - maintain good social relationships with your friends and family - keep your body clean and wash your hands! - ensure the stress level in your life is the minimum possible - prevention of disease is better than treatment - eat healthily - exercise for your mind, as well as your body. next issue: healthy lifestyle tips for the over 60’s lifestyle14 mag ine october 2010 lifestyle love on the rocks we’ve only been married eight months and already our relationship seems to be heading for the rocks. everything started out so well. now my husband seems unhappy and won’t tell me why. i’m tempted to talk to my mum about my worries but i don’t want her to turn against my husband. he has been working very long hours, including overtime, to make enough money to pay the bills. neither of us realised how much everything costs as we both always lived with our parents. before we married we talked about having a family and he was as keen as me but now he says we should wait a few more years. when he’s at home he’s tired and quiet and not the fun person he used to be. sometimes i wonder if i did the right thing marrying him. i’m amazed you haven’t spoken to your mum already. i’m also amazed that your constant nagging about what’s wrong, when clearly he’s just tired from a day’s work hasn’t driven him to drink. why do you think your mum would turn against your husband? as far as i can tell, all women moan about their partners. men are different; we don’t like telling our mates that our hot wife isn’t a desirable as she seems on paper. we generally don’t like ‘sharing’. next time he comes home from work and is a bit grumpy, instead of asking him what’s wrong - it’s probably something too technical for your pretty little head, hand him a nice cold beer (or whatever his preferred relaxation tipple might be) and ask him what he’d like ordering from the takeaway for supper. you don’t need to do it every day, use some of your ‘women’s intuition’ and you’ll find within a few week’s he’s telling you all kinds of stuff. fly the nest my daughter did her a-level exams this summer and says she wants to go travelling for a year with her best friend. i didn’t expect this and i’m scared of my little baby being on her own in another country as she’s only ever been away with my husband and myself. i’m worried something may happen to her or a man will take advantage of her . the longest break we’ve had from each other was when she went on holiday with her best friend’s parents and that was hard enough. now the thought of not seeing her for a year is heartbreaking. should i try to stop her or get her to go for , say, just a couple of months? well you’ve got to cut the apron strings sooner or later . did you think she was going problem page he’s the best agony uncle in baku so if your friends or family can’t be there to give you the advice you need, put your life and relationships in uncle bob’s hands…october 2010 mag ine 15 lifestyle to stay at home forever? encourage her to travel, take an interest in where she’d like to go and help her plan it. you can then see how prepared she is, where she’s staying and how you’re going to stay in touch. you can get a lot of information about the countries that she’d like to visit from the foreign and commonwealth office, check out their website: www.fco.gov.uk/en/travel-and-living-abroad/travel-advice-by-country/ you can also register her and her friend on locate: www.fco.gov.uk/en/travel-and-living-abroad/staying-safe/locate/ the service which will help them if they are affected by something like a natural disaster in the region she’s visiting. who knows, she may come back pregnant, and then her travelling will be nothing compared to the fear you’ll have of becoming a grandmother . family feud my sister-in-law has always been nasty but this time she’s gone too far . against my better judgment, i agreed to include her in a family holiday. we all had to endure an 8-hour plane journey and my children, aged eight and three, got overexcited and overtired and my daughter was air sick. there were tears but nothing serious. everyone seemed to have fun on holiday except my sister-in-law who was quiet and aloof. however , on the plane home she let rip about my children being an embarrassment and said she was ashamed to be seen with them. since her outburst, my mother-in-law is desperate for us to make up but how can i ever forgive her? what are you doing taking children on an 8 hour flight? i bet your sister-in-law wasn’t the only one sick of your kids. you say it’s nothing serious, because you’re used to your whiny brats making a fuss over the smallest thing, but for the people who are not blood-relatives, it’s a heck of burden and stress being trapped in a metal tube while your brats go into meltdown. but on the upside for you, if she’s ashamed to be seen with them, maybe she won’t come round so much. it doesn’t sound like you want to be around her misery much either. this could be a problem that solves itself; you can be civil next time you meet so your mother-in-law will let it drop, but remain cool so you don’t have to spend much time with her. and don’t invite her on your holidays again - you clearly have different expectations. alternatively, next time you go on holiday, leave your kids with her; she might whip them into shape, and the rest of the plane travelling public won’t have to put up with your noise. teacher’s pet my husband’s a teacher who often stays late at school and works at home as well. he’s praised by his superiors and parents for the time he gives to the children, and many pupils say he’s their favourite teacher . when he isn’t working, he’s sleeping. if i suggest doing something together , he’s too tired. if i say other teachers manage to have a family life, he gets irritated, i know he won’t change so what do i do? well if you know he won’t change, why hasn’t it occurred to you that you should change? instead of harbouring what’s clearly a burning rage of jealousy over his popularity with everyone who meets him, why not be proud of his achievements, enjoy some reflected glory? get over yourself. unless what you’re really saying is that you think that the reason he brings so much work home, is because he’s not really working late at school as much as he’s having an illicit romance with a range of superiors and parents who then sing his praises as smoke screen to protect his part-time gigolo status – which explains how you manage to pay for those annual holidays in florida – that would also explain why he’s too tired. to recap, either he’s cheating worse than a lazy kid in exam season or you’re an inconsiderate self-centred hag. death becomes us i’m a 24-year-old man who is obsessed with death and petrified by the thought of it. the fear hits me in waves but it’s always there, constantly reminding me of my mortality. i’m scared of everything and everyone i’ll leave behind when i die and it’s getting to the point where i can’t sleep at night through fear of not waking up. please help me to overcome my terror . we’re all scared of death to a greater or lesser extent. i’m quite frightened of being buried alive, but then i don’t let it dominate my days or nights. i’m also quite scared of being bitten by a vampire and having to live forever. who wants to hang around forever? it’s not like you get more handsome with age is it? you need to focus on filling your time with fun stuff. you’re 24 - there should be a least two nights a week where you’re out partying and having a blast till dawn. so that’s two nights where you’re out living, instead of curled up in a ball counting your breaths – that’s not much of a life anyway and you’ll probably find that the following two nights you’re too knackered to think. within a couple of weeks, you’ll be occupying over half the nights of the week with something other than a fear of death. unless you want to spend your time with other ‘death obsessives’ in which case, there’s probably a goth club nearby that you can join and learn to embrace the dark side of death. if you have problems in life and love, write to uncle bob at: info@az-magazine.com and read his advice next month.lifestyle toys for boys our very own gadget geek is here to review the latest techno toys on the market. samsung yp-s2zu mp3 player the wattson not many gadgets can claim to be even remotely eco friendly, made cheaply from plastics and without a thought for sustainability or carbon footprints. they tend to be the flavour of the month for a short time before languishing in the back of cupboards or in landfills across the world. the wattson’s manufacturing process is probably no different but where it does claim some eco credentials is in its function. a clip connects to the wires on your electricity meter, transmitting data wirelessly to the main base unit allowing it to track the energy consumption within your house. the base unit itself looks great and could almost be mistaken for an ipod dock, but rather than producing music, it can tell you how much power you are using either in watts or pounds sterling. for the numerically challenged, the device can be set up to use colours for a more abstract rendition with pulsating blue for “eco hero” to angry red for “polar bear killer”. obviously designed to make you think about your power use and turn things off to help save the planet, this does at least sensibly approach the issue via you wallet making it far more useful. presenting to you the economics of your gadget laden house does pose a slight problem though as it very easy to get obsessive and spend hours running around, turning everything off and attempting to get the readout as close to zero as possible. it may be fun for a while to live like a medieval monk, sitting in the dark with only the calming blue glow of the wattson for company, but i for one soon tired of that. fortunately, you soon have an excuse to power up the computer though as the wattson’s built in software allow it to track your energy usage over 60 days and view graphs showing when you are most eco unfriendly. for the truly dedicated, you can then show off your sandal wearing, lentil munching environmental skills to friends via the world of social media. www.stuff.tv/review/diy-kyoto-the-wattson/ equally beautifully designed, though a lot less environmentally conscious, is the samsung yp-s2zu mp3 player. thanks to its age, this player is now obscenely cheap, coming in at around 20 pounds and looks amazing. designed as a competitor to the screenless ipod shuffle, this is not for you if you need to store thousands of songs and be able to select the perfect track for every moment of your day but if you just need music on the move, you could do a lot worse. very lightweight and with simple controls, the unit is packaged into a slightly sensual, silky smooth pebble design. the playback quality is great and it is capable of playing all of the most commonly used music formats so it sounds almost as good as it looks! www.stuff.tv/review/samsung-yp-s2/ 16 mag ine october 2010samsung yp-s2zu mp3 player intempo rebel robi novatel wireless 2352 intelligent mobile hotspot lifestyle if your entire music collection just isn’t enough entertainment to carry in your pocket, the hm queen elizabeth ii’s favourite radio makers have come up with the robi; a neat little add on for ipods which allows you to pick up both fm and dab radio. connecting to the ipod via the headphone socket, you gain both the ability to pick up radio signals and also a nifty in-line remote control switching between the functions via the mode button. other controls include the obvious fast forward, volume, song/ station select and play/pause. unfortunately, the pause function doesn’t allow you to pause live radio but it does instantly mute it which can be handy. when you are out and about, the robi’s few failings come to the fore: firstly, like anything that uses the wires from headphones as an aerial reception, falters if you move around too much. secondly, as it fits in between your mp3 player and your headphones, it just adds to the tangle of wires which again can prove a challenge when moving around or at the gym. bottom line - if you want to listen to the radio and aren’t moving around too much this is great, but there are other ways to get the benefits of the varied playlist from your station of choice. www.stuff.tv/review/roberts-robi/ some devices are ingenious in their simplicity, combining a wireless router with the ability to connect to the internet via mobile phone networks. this offering from novatel can connect up to five devices to the internet by setting up a local wi-fi network. this can be especially useful if you are travelling with a group of people all of whom want to use their laptops, ipads and smart phones. set up is a piece of cake; simply turn on and it scans the airwaves for the mobile network of the sim card you have inserted so in seconds, you are good to go. it has a reasonable range, able to cover a large room and the battery life is capable of supporting about 4 hours of surfing so is ideal for travellers who don’t want to spend all of their time searching for a wi-fi hotspot. www.stuff.tv/review/novatel-wireless-2352-intelligent-mobile-hotspot-review/ the intempo rebel is one such solution using proprietary ‘podcatcher’ software and presumably a legal loophole, it strips away inane dj chatter and adverts from the radio generating an endless supply of mp3’s containing just the music. the quality of the recordings are far better than the top-40 tapes everyone in the uk used to labouriously make on a sunday afternoon and take a fraction of the effort since the system is fully automatic. set up is painless, though a little time consuming as it takes 6 hours to ‘learn’ a station but after that, it will rip 40 tracks to fill the internal memory or even more via the sd slot or usb port which can even connect directly to an ipod. the recording range is slightly limited as it is fm only so no dab stations but beggars can’t be choosers, and the service is free once you buy the rebel. with the fade in or out used on the radio, you never seem to get 100% complete tracks but if you can cope with that it is a fantastic way to keep your music collection bang up to date. www.stuff.tv/review/intempo-rebel/ more toys for boys next month and if you have a gadget that you would like gadget geek to review, please send an email to: info@az-magazine.com october 2010 mag ine 17sport sport gabala fitc has recently kicked off two new programmes of football activities: the schools programme and a schools football tournament. these two new programmes are very exciting for the schools of gabala, and will be seen as a very important step in gfitc engaging the young people positively, and delivering fun, safe, and informative coaching sessions on the school premises - thus, providing organised games in a safe and friendly environment outside of school. gabala fc football in the community the schools programme has been taking place within 5 city schools, at a different school each day. this format will be delivered in these same schools for a period of 4 weeks. these sessions will take place on the school premises and engage boys and girls together in fundamental activities using football as the vehicle. the sessions have been aimed at boys and girls aged between 8 and 12. the response so far from the children, directors of the school and teachers has been very encouraging. joe doyle, one of the football in the community coaches spoke about how impressed he had been by the children’s attentiveness and attitude during these football activities. ted sutton, the head of the football in the community, commented on their application and how much the children looked like they were enjoying themselves. the schools tournament is the other activity with which the gabala football in the community staff has been very busy organising. this tournament is the first joint project between affa and the gabala fitc. affa’s contribution has been enormous to some of the schools of gabala, thanks to them providing football kits, 5 footballs to every team that has taken part, and will also see it officiated by affa officials. there will have been 36 teams who will have taken part and of these, 6 will go through to a champions league style group and from this group, two teams will play a final game which will take place before one of the gabala fc home games. the opening of the tournament was very well supported from both affa and gabala fc, which saw elkhan mammodov, general secretary, and bernard lippert - both from affa, talk during the opening of the games. gabala fc’s manager tony adams then kicked the tournament off. these two initiatives are just the start of the gabala football in the communities aims for developing grass roots football here in azerbaijan. 18 mag ine october 2010gabala v garabag regardless of who you are playing, you want to be able to select from a fully fit squad with everyone available, and no suspensions. leading up to what was going to be a very tough game against garabag - another top side in the unibank premier league, we had this situation with the one exception - the continued suspension of milan antic. lubo had served his three match ban having been sent off against baki and steve olfers was over the illness that had kept him out of our match the week before against inter. we had enjoyed a good week of preparation and felt confident that we would produce a performance that with some good fortune too, would gain us our first home league win of the season. with fatih kavlak on our coaching staff (he was part of the garabag coaching team last season), we had firsthand knowledge of our individual opponents, plus tony adams and i have probably watched more games involving garabag than any other team in azerbaijan. i decided to watch the first 15 minutes of the game from the stand above the dug outs to get a good view of the shape and pattern of the game and it was clear that we were comfortable with our own formation, and garabag were not causing us any particular problems with their starting lineup. when i dropped down into the technical area i said to tony that the game was likely to hinge on our concentration levels and we would need to keep individual errors and collective errors down to a minimum. when chances came our way we had to be clinical and take them, it was going to be equally as tight a game as that against inter the week before. our performance in the first 45 minutes was, in my opinion, the best we have played so far this season. we passed the ball and retained possession very well along with switching play from one side of the pitch to the other on a regular basis with good composure. we started a bit slow in the second half but managed to get the vital first goal. deon burton certainly seemed to get the final touch to put us 1-0 up and deserved to double his tally for the season having been harshly penalised by the officials on several occasions for apparently being over aggressive with his challenges in the air. forwards have many rolls but their greatest pleasure comes with a goal and when branimir hit the back of the net for the teams second and his first goal for gabala fc, we had played our way into a very strong position. i am not a fan of defending a lead and we continued to encourage the team to get forward but there is a natural reaction to drop deeper and that invites opponents onto you. garabag also started to push players forward in an attempt to get back into the game and when the ball moved viciously and unpredictably in the air, as is the case with the current match ball being used in this league, it deceived pasha and we were under intense pressure. we had to cling onto the 1 goal advantage. despite a number of garabag chances late on, we managed to survive and gain a much deserved 2-1 victory in front of our home fans and against a very good side. it’s important now that we continue to build on our form and confidence as the league table starts to take a more accurate appearance. keep the faith and continue your dedicated support of gabala fc. gary stevens, assistant coach gabala fc last month, gabala fc came face-to-face with garabag. in what was to be a thrilling game, gabala fought for and won the club’s first victory this season. undoubtedly a milestone - considering the short history of the club, it can be seen as the start of better things to come. in a new feature, assistant coach gary stevens, reviews gabala’s performance. sport sport view from the technical area october 2010 mag ine 19sport sport 20 mag ine october 2010www.gabalafc.az what’s new? gabala fc special features in the last few months gabala fc hit the headlines with exciting new developments at the club. follow the progress of the club with our 4 page exclusive features every month in az magazine or visit the new gabala fc website for the latest news! - lee dixon (bbc sport football pundit & ex-arsenal player with tony) from the bbc’s football focus, will be dropping into gabala in october to record a fea-ture on tony and gabala fc - look out for british newspaper, mail on sunday. their sport’s editor recently spent a few days with the club and you can read the special on their website - a first for azerbaijan! sporting weekly newspaper in france, l’ equipe, spent three days last month with tony and chief executive, alastair saverimutto in qa-bala. this is the first time that an azerbaijani football team has graced the pages of their newspaper, and multiple pages at that! sport sport read here for exclusive news on the latest goings-on with gabala fc exciting times are ahead for gabala fc! the world press is focusing on gabala fc and here are just a few things to look out for: - one of the world’s most watched and popular weekly tv football programmes is coming to azerbaijan. fifa futbol mundial, fifa’s weekly television programme, is broadcast worldwide and they will be filming a special on tony adams and the club watch this space for the broadcast date october 2010 mag ine 2122 mag ine october 2010 food seto is a relative newcomer to baku - located on the 21 st floor of landmark building no.3 on nizami street, the restaurant is slightly further afield from the city centre than most eateries but very convenient for those fortunate to work in the landmark and its surrounding business centres. for those driving, parking can be difficult in the area during the day but it is much easier to get parked at night. for those trying to drum up a good appetite, the restaurant is easily reached on foot, and with the local parks now completed, the walk from the city centre to the landmark is much more pleasurable these days. landmark building no.3 is home to a number of businesses including two restaurants; seto, serving primarily japanese cuisine and also shin shin; serving primarily chinese-influenced fare. the upper floors of the landmark building are also home to a separate bar; sky bar, as well as a 5 star hotel. on entering the landmark, seto restaurant can be reached by fast elevators which whisk you up to the 21st floor, a lofty number for those with a fear of heights but well worth the visit simply for the striking, unobstructed, panoramic views of baku and the caspian sea. seto is not just ‘another japanese restaurant’, core to the restaurant’s concept is the idea that the restaurant should be as close to an authentic japanese dining experience as possible. with a squad of japanese cooks working diligently in the open kitchen at the centre of the restaurant, under the restaurant review by terry guthrie autumn favourite season. temperatures drop, cool winds sweep through the city’s streets, the colour of the leaves slowly changes, kids return to school, and folks return to work refreshed from their holidays – all of this makes the city somehow wake up from its sleepy summer slumber . for many of the expats in baku, this time of year involves a steady increase in their pace of work; the christmas holidays are looming in the near distance and the next three months see most of us frantically trying to close out our tasks at work before we fly back to our native lands for the holidays. in contrast, with the city back in full swing, the streets clog up with more cars than ever before and it becomes all the more imperative to find some source of refuge; a place with some peace and quiet away from work or the hustle and bustle of the city, somewhere to gather your thoughts, or , just simply be a little self-indulgent. having passed up on a summer holiday this year we were recently succumbing to this kind of strain, so we were delighted to receive an invite to review seto restaurant, a hidden gem of tranquility in baku.october 2010 mag ine 23 food watchful eye of chef eiji takemura, the commitment to this philosophy is easily felt. seto is even named after a city in japan. the concept is further driven by the way in which food is served. compared with western dinners where food is typically served in two or three courses with a plentiful amount in each course, japanese food is characteristically served as numerous small dishes, the idea being to sample many different tastes and textures during your meal - a little similar to the spanish concept of tapas. for those with larger appetites, fear not, your tummy will be truly filled - the servings may look small but once you have sampled a few different dishes you will definitely see the appeal of eating in this manner. the décor of seto is minimalist - simple, functional, and very modern. wood adorns the restaurant throughout giving a very natural and clean feel to the place. seto’s lighting is subtle; not glaring but not too dark - the only slight drawback is the view of the city can be masked by the reflection of the lights in the windows - although the view is clearly breathtaking in the early evening. seto’s decorative calm is enhanced by a live, talented pianist who performs a subtle blend of tunes on a grand piano each evening between 8 and 11pm - perhaps not as japanese as karaoke but nonetheless a well-appreciated touch. the restaurant’s layout is well planned - small tables, presumably for romantic couples, are placed away from the larger ones which cater for business dinners or groups of friends, giving some privacy for those eager to whisper sweet nothings to one another. perhaps one of the most novel facets of seto are the tepanyaki tables installed on the east side of the restaurant. tepanyaki tables represent social genius at its best - groups of up to eight people can be seated around the table and watch as the chef cooks their food on the griddle in the centre of the table - this obviously has tremendous ‘show value’ and is bound to impress friends and business colleagues alike. seto accepts reservations for the tepanyaki tables and it is highly recommended that you make advance reservations, particularly at the weekend. seto’s menu is a straightforward affair as one might expect from a japanese eatery - dishes are split into several categories for simplicity; tepanyaki, sushi, sashimi, tempura and salads. for those watching their waistline or wallet, a range of tempting salads is available (6-10azn) including a tasty noodle salad as well as staples like tuna salad or chicken salad with sesame seeds. several soups (4azn) are available including delicious red or white miso soups which should not be passed up during the cold season. seto offers an extensive range of tepanyaki (16-20azn) which range from novel dishes such as black tiger prawns with tomato sauce to beef teriyaki or beef in red wine sauce. for those requiring slightly more exotic tepanyaki choices, the menu also offers up dishes such as duck with orange sauce, lobster tepanyaki, or yakitori chicken. for sushi fans, seto’s menu provides some real delights - samplers are served in small (28azn/13 pieces) or large portions (35azn/18 pieces). in addition, the menu offers individual sushi dishes which range from california rolls (10azn/8 pieces), to tuna nigiri (5azn/2 pieces), to lavish options like red caviar gunkanmaki (8azn/2 pieces).24 mag ine october 2010 for those with a distain for rice, there are many sashimi on offer; sashimi samplers are served in small (20azn/20 pieces) or, albeit challengingly, large portions (40azn/40 pieces). individual sashimi dishes range from salmon sashimi (8azn/5 pieces) to less mainstream options like octopus sashimi (8azn/5 pieces) and beyond. a mix of tempura dishes are also on offer as interesting sides; a tempting range of shrimp, squid, fish and five kinds of vegetable (12azn) is recommended for newcomers to japanese cuisine. in contrast to our usual approach of sampling and reporting on a few different dishes, we chose to simply opt for seto’s tasting menu (40azn) which provides a varied and well-rounded introduction to the food on offer, as well as a good sized, high-quality meal for the money charged. the tasting menu consists of set number of components but a brief chat with very house-proud chef eiji takemura, reveals that he is only too happy to create a bespoke menu for those with more specific requirements and actually encourages his customers to be open-minded with their orders and challenge his talented kitchen staff. the tasting menu begins with some interesting mixed appetisers served in small but well-tasting portions - crispy seaweed with beef and carrot, tallapia mini-rolls with ginger, and spicy caramelised walnuts - all served in exquisitely-decorated japanese crockery. the appetisers are accompanied by a pot of spinach salad with shaved mackerel and roasted chicken; a delicious introduction to your meal. the appetisers are followed by the soup de jour; in our case we were fortunate enough to sample a traditional japanese fish soup - clear fish boullion infused with lemon, herbs, and finely-chopped scallions, served with a sizeable chunk of velvety soft fish - simply delicious. there is a choice of beef tenderloin or salmon tepanyaki, although these choices can be upgraded to either a higher quality cut of beef or even lobster if you are willing to part with a little extra money. we opted to try the beef tenderloin which was cooked to perfection - make sure to ask the chef if you can sample some of the delicious, if not interesting, sauces on offer - for those with a palate appreciating spicy flavours, the japanese orange pepper is not to be passed up on. the carne is accompanied by some mixed tempura, which can be mixed with your tepanyaki or eaten alone depending on your preference. a serving of five individual tempura served in a light, fluffy batter are offered as a mixture of shrimp and vegetable, although this can be tailored to your liking if you are not a fan of seafood. as a last act of savoury before your sweet, seto offers a choice of sushi or sashimi or garlic rice to round off the bulk of your meal - we tried some of the sushi - a mix of expertly-prepared pieces of fresh nigiri bound to please any fan of sushi. the tasting menu closes with a choice of japanese desserts - strawberry sorbet, bread pudding and crème brulee to name a few - which provide the closing chapter to this gastronomic marathon. naturally, foodoctober 2010 mag ine 25 as one might expect, a cup of japanese tea is offered at the end of the tasting menu, a great way to calm your now slightly expanded waistline. seto’s menu also offers up a japanese curry (12azn) - a dish that apparently takes three days to create and of which the chef is immensely proud of. the curry is available in beef or seafood; we chose the beef which, for those with a fondness for curries, smells tantalisingly saliva-inducing. chunks of tender, slow-cooked beef in a not-too-spicy curry sauce with a sweet lingering aftertaste, served with sticky whiter-than-white rice. this dish is very moreish and one that is highly recommended for those seeking comfort food during the cold nights in baku or for any potential sufferers of ichthyophobia (fear of fish). seto is certainly worth a visit - a destination bound to impress your company, be it business or pleasure. stunning views, contemporary surroundings, and freshly prepared dishes made from high-quality ingredients, are the real winning facets of this restaurant. the service here is polite and professional - having a likeable chef eager to please and interact with his customers is a real bonus too, too often restaurant chefs can be elusive creatures which is a real shame as they tend to be proud of their work and enjoy talking about it with their clients. it is difficult to fault seto but the lack of sake on the drinks menu is certainly noticeable and should be easily correctable; sake is to japanese cuisine what wine is for italian cuisine; it should compliment the meal perfectly and heighten the taste of your food. despite the lack of sake, seto presents an otherwise authentic taste of japan and is sure to be a magical haven for those seeking a well-balanced meal among peaceful surroundings. on a final note, this will be my last restaurant review for az magazine. the last twelve months have given me a unique perspective of baku’s ever-changing eating scene - i am truly humbled to have been allowed to sample the culinary delights of so many hardworking chefs in baku. i would also like to thank the restaurateurs who kindly agreed to take part in the review process for their hospitality and, of course, their ever-patient waiting staff. finally, i would like to say a big thank you to all those folks in baku who regularly read the reviews - your support and input is really appreciated. food opening hours: lunch: 12:00 - 14:30 dinner: 19:00 - 23:00 address: nizami str . 90a, landmark building iii, 21st floor , seto japanese restaurant. tel: 012 465 2000 fax: 012 465 2010 for reservations, email: info@thelandmarkhotel.az overall rating food beverages sevice cleanliness value for money26 mag ine october 2010 travel a walk to the village my partner sandra and i walked the sixteen kilometres to lahic from a camp at kalamarc where we stayed in a comfortable chalet with sweeping views across mountains and forest. starting off a little after 9am, it took us a little more than three-hours to reach the village at a gentle pace. soon, the woodlands were left behind as we paced up the canyon. after a few kilometres, we came to a rickety suspension bridge that crosses the river gorge. although not strictly on our way, we walked across the structure and back, feeling like extras from an indiana jones movie. it swayed in the breeze and the curved steel base buckled as we put our weight on it. the bridge is anchored to an old car axle at one end and a chassis at the other but it seemed firm enough! even if you don’t fancy walking across it, it’s worth stopping to take a photo. walking higher, we were passed by numerous ladas filled with curious folk who clearly didn’t understand why we were walking in the hot sun up a dusty track. one or two stopped to offer us a lift, which we politely turned down to their obvious surprise. the track zigzagged upwards, past high bluffs of granite and mountains of shale that sizzled as we passed. shepherds on horseback made their way down with their sheep, grown fat on the last of the summer grazing. finally, we mounted a rise and saw lahic, spread out across the shallow hillside and down to the banks of the rocky girdimanchai river. behind the village, the caucuses rise grandly to more than 4,000 metres. lahic – a walk around the village as we looked across to the village, the distinctive style of architecture became clear. three or four courses of squared stone were interspersed by baulks of timber that ran around the entire building. then came another few courses of stone, then more wood - until the structure was finished. later we read that this vernacular style is called divarchu or “wood wall”, designed to resist earth tremors and quakes. given the fact that so many old buildings survive, it obviously works! another distinctive feature of lahic are the streets; beautifully paved with flat river-washed stones. draining to the centre, they kept mud to a minimum in winter and contributed to the health of village. you are free to enter the dark lairs that are coppersmiths workshops, as they fashion both useful and decorative items. simple chisels and punches are used to make the intricate designs but more appealing to me were several old copper water carriers (called gugums) used as recently as 2009, when piped water finally made it’s way to people’s homes. these heavy jars often have a planished or hammered finish and have a timeless look about them… just think how many times they would have been taken to the riverside, to provide water for the household. village of coppersmiths lahic by steve hollier the picturesque village of lahic (pronounced lahij) lies in the foothills of the caucases, a three-hour drive from baku. full of historic interest and old-world charm, it is a perfect spot for a weekend of hiking or just chilling out.october 2010 mag ine 27 nearby, we were introduced to a blind harness maker and next to him the owner of a weaving workshop. old ladies in colourful dresses showed us their produce; dried seeds, preserved fruit and herbs ready for the kitchen. i was tempted to buy a beautiful, black astrakhan hat but resisted the temptation and bought a jar of locally produced honey and some vine leaves in brine instead. a little history stone age tools have been found near the present day village but according to legend, the village is named after the persian tribe the lagich, who are reputed to have settled there in the 4th or 5th centuries. unlike most azeri’s, the people of lahic traditionally speak tat, an ancient persian dialect that can still be heard on the lips of the older generation. in the 18th and 19th centuries, the craft workers of lahic were at the height of their powers and produced sword and dagger blades of the highest quality. copperware from the village was exported to turkey, russia and even to england, where it was awarded a gold medal for its extraordinary quality. the lahic t ourist information centre climbing steep stone-clad steps behind the high street, you can reach the local tourist information centre run by the delightful mr. dada shaliyev, who told us of a walk of a couple of hours through spectacular mountain scenery to an old castle. he also said that tourists wanting to experience the real lahic, could stay with local families overnight in a traditional house for only 20azn, including an evening meal and breakfast. that must count as a real bargain. mr. shaliyev can be contacted by email: dadashaliyev@yahoo.com or by calling his office: 997 178 77571. getting there the village is only a three-hour drive from baku. after driving150 kilometres on the excellent m4 road that goes east north east towards ismayilli, turn right along the partially metalled track that runs parallel to the girdimanchai river - near the wine village of shemakha. after a twenty-kilometre drive through lush forests and craggy mountains the road ends at the entrance to lahic, elevation 1,500 metres. it is possible to get to the village by a bus that leaves each morning at 7am from baku’s main bus station. the one-way fare is 7azn. the return bus to baku leaves from lahic’s main square at 8am and takes at least five-hours. summing up there is so much more to add, the local food (tasty and cheap), the raspberry compote (divine!), the air (clean and bracing) but don’t take my word for it. visit lahic for yourself… travel28 mag ine october 2010 travel ivanovka is nestled in the ismaylli region and is only a three hour drive away from baku. we heard friends talk of visiting this unique village and once they had described how beautiful the place was, we had to go! one stiflingly hot weekend in baku, ten of us headed out in a prado convoy to the region. after a quick picnic in the mountains, we took a turning and almost instantaneously, the scenery and roads changed. the land was lush, green, and rich with crops. in comparison to the somewhat bumpy ride for the last half an hour, the roads leading to the village were smooth and clean. my first impression was that i had stepped back in time. the houses were unlike anything i had seen in azerbaijan; all traditional russian houses, built in lines. with wide streets, it felt peaceful; no beeping of car horns or screaming on car megaphones, there was an air of tranquility. expat john howarth and his wife tanya bought a house there two years ago and built 5 chalets in the grounds. the accommodation was perfect for what we needed - comfortable beds, european toilets and a shower with hot water! boasting a large garden with its own vegetable patch (and hens), it is the ideal place to stay. once we got settled in, john took us for a walk around the village while tanya prepared dinner. ivanovka was originally inhabited by malakans. known as a religious sect, the word molokan “was used to describe those who were fed with words as pure as milk”. in the 18th century as part of the russification policy, malakans were exiled by the czar for rejecting the church and supreme leadership. as a result, some were resettled in ivanovka. walking through the streets, locals looked slightly bemused to see a group of expats and we in turn, were surprised to see so many of the population with blonde hair and blue eyes! a wedding was taking place that evening and john told us that everyone in the entire village had been invited. we were lucky enough to be shown the room where the wedding was being held - nothing as lavish as some of the wedding palaces in baku, but nevertheless, the same amount of effort had been put into the preparations. we then stumbled upon the local pub and when we asked for 10 pints of beer, it took them 20 minutes as they had to go and find another keg! by the time we arrived back to our lodgings, tanya had prepared dinner for us - traditional british food which was delicious. tanya’s kitchen is her pride and joy and there is a dining room attached. full of board games, books and magazines, there is plenty to keep you entertained. we were also given a complimentary bottle of wine which was made in the village. the following morning, after a full english breakfast, john and tanya took us for a drive through the scenic countryside to a local winery, sato monolit (ismaylli wine). surrounded by acres of vineyards, this impressive chateau has wine cellars filled with bottles of wine. the staff were more than happy to take us on a tour of the winery and the hotel that was under construction next door. once we had finished purchasing our wine - at a discounted rate, it was time for us to set off on our journey back. before we left though, tanya took us to a neighbouring home which is renowned from its honey. invited into the family home, we all were made to feel welcome while we waited for the honey - fresh from the honeycomb. ivanovka is perfect for getting away from baku for the weekend, whether as a couple, or in a group. open all year round, john and tanya’s generous hospitality will certainly make it a trip you’ll want to repeat again. for more information, email john at: jhowarth@watermanllc.com ivanovka - a little piece of heaven if you are looking to take a weekend trip to the regions but you are tired of the usual haunts, ivanovka is a hidden gem. by lynn craigoctober 2010 mag ine 29 travel30 mag ine october 2010 business david lawson, general manager of ace forwarding caspian, gets a hot seat grilling… what did you want to be as a child growing up?   a body builder or erotic dancer; i really couldn’t decide, although both involved the application of lots of baby oil - i got to eat more as a body builder. i managed to sustain the calorie intake over the years but could never make it to the gym! how does your current career differ from that?  that’s a tough one... what study route did you take to prepare you for this career?  there is not a lot you can study to become a freight forwarder so it does not require any formal qualifications. you can’t teach common sense. it is one of those careers you stumble into but is very addictive, and for the most part, very enjoyable. what brought you to baku? billy quinn; i have known him for 16 years but still fell for his old blarney: “it’s just like dubai, sam and the kids will love it...” what do you enjoy most about your job?  i have been in shipping for 28 years (“how do you keep your skin so young looking?” i hear you cry) and for me, the best part has been the opportunity to literally travel worldwide. which aspect of your job do you like least of all? working with john quinn… how do you spend your day? performing secretarial duties for mr quinn, making his coffee and pretending to find him amusing. then, when he’s out, i get involved with the day-to-day running of the company. ace has a great reputation in baku and i want to make sure i do what i can to keep it that way. what is the best piece of advice you could give a youngster who wanted to follow in your footsteps?  firstly, be careful - those footsteps leave large holes and you could trip. secondly, if you want to have a career in shipping then you will need to be prepared to travel, work long hours, be conscientious and bite your tongue a lot! what is the best piece of advice you have ever been given? eating celery burns calories. who do you most admire in the business world? there are a few that have done very well by seizing the opportunity to succeed in azerbaijan. mike duncan, howard lyn and billy quinn for instance, but if i had to pick one it would be billy as shipping is by far the most difficult industry! if you could be someone else for a day, who would it be and why? i am more than happy being myself thank you; i have a wonderful wife and family, why change? but if i had to then it would be local legend sean o’kane as i would like to see what it would feel like to be as “athletic” as him. if you could only have 3 possessions for the next 6 months, what would they be and why? ok sam, it said possessions. i do not possess you so you are not included! 1. tickets / flights to all west ham games. why? because it is the academy of football. 2. daily supply of slim fast. why? come on, why do you think? 3. anti-depressants. why? see possession 1. if you had the opportunity to change one thing about baku what would it be? maybe add a few fountains? no, it would have to be to sort out the traffic/roads. if you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? you will think i’m silly, but sometimes i look in the mirror and think ‘whoa there porky, you look a tad overweight!’ so, a little off my stomach…say six stone perhaps? how would your epitaph read? obviously didn’t touch the six months free supply of slim fast then!october 2010 mag ine 3132 mag ine october 2010 lesson 13 (дярс 13) azerbaijani birthday traditions in azerbaijan, people generally celebrate their birthday at home. (азярбайъанда адятян ад эцнцнц евдя, аилядя гейд едирляр.) relatives and close friends visit and bring presents for the person whose birthday it is. (гощумлар вя йахын достлар гонаг эялир, щамы сябябкар цчцн щядиййя эятирир.) people prepare different meals, salads, main courses and kababs. the next course to be served is a traditional plov. (мцxtяlif йемякляр hazыrlanыr, салатлар, ясас йемякляр, кабаблар... амма сонда мцтляг сцфряйя плов эятирирляр.) once the meal is finished, tea is served and guests are given a piece of cake. (yemяk yeyilib qutarandan sonra чай сцфряси ачылыр вя qonaqlara торт verilir.) some people celebrate their birthdays in a restaurant. (бязи adamlar ад эцнлярини ресторанларда кечирир.) guests are invited to the restaurant and there, they eat, drink and dance. (гонаглар ресторана дявят олунур vя orda hамы йейир, ичир, рягс едир.) friends congratulate the person whose birthday it is and wish them all the best and of course, they give them presents! (dostlarы sяbяbkarы tяbrik edir vя saьlфqlar deyilir,vя tяbii ki, hяdiyyяlяr verillиr) what type of present do you choose? (hяdiyyяni necя seчmяk olar?) when choosing a present, you must pay attention to the taste, age and interest of the person. (hяdiyyя seчяndя яsas insanin zюvqцnц, yaшыna vя maraqlarina uyьun olmasыna diqqяt yetirmяk lazыmdыr.) read the dialogue. (dialoqu oxuyun.) a - hi, tofig. (salam, tofiq.) b - hi nazrin. (salam, nяzrin.) a - today is irada’s birthday, are you going to her party? (bu gцn иradяnin ad gцnцdцr, gedяcяksяn?) b - yes, irada invited me. (bяli, getmяliyяm. иradя mяni dяvяt edib.) a - great! have you bought her a present? (nя gюzяl! hяdiyyя almisan?) b - not yet. what about you? (yox hяlя. bяs sяn?) a - yes i have. i know irada likes still life so i bought a small picture for her. do you know what you want to buy her? (mяn almышam. bilirяm ki, иradя notцrmort чox xoшlayыr, buna gюrя ona kiчik bir rяsm almышam. sяn nя hяdiyyя etmяk istяyirsяn?) b - i really don’t know, can you help me find one? (bilmirяm... bяlkя sяn mяnя kюmяk edяrsяn?) a - of course i will! what about flowers? and perhaps some perfume? (mяmnuniyyяtlя! sяncя gцl nцcя olar ya da bяlkя яtir alasan) b - i will buy what you think is best. do you know what kind of perfume she likes? i don’t know what her favourite is! (яgяr mяslяhяt gюrцrsяnsя alaram. bilmirsяn o, necя яtir xoшlayыr? mяn onun hansы яtiri sevdiyini bilmirяm!) a - i know, she likes light fragrances. (яlbяttя bilirяm! иradя yцngцl яtirlяr xoшlayыr. ad gцnц qeyd etmяk qonaq gяlmяk sяbяbkar sцfrяdя mцxtяlif mцtlяq ziyafяt dяvяt olunmaq rяqs etmяk шяrяfinя tяbrik saьlыq tяbii ki hяdiyyя zюvq yaш maraq diqqяt yetirmяk buna gюrя mяmnuniyyяtlя mяslяhяt gюrmяk bяlяd olmaq yцngцl яtir birthday to celebrate to visit hero of the occasion on the table different by all means event to be invited to dance in the honour of congratulations to congratulate someone’s health of course present taste age interest to pay attention that is why with pleasure to give advice to know the taste light smell azerbaijan t each y ourself azerbaijani this month, eti will teach various words and expressions you may need when speaking about birthday celebrations. useful words (эцндялик лексика)october 2010 mag ine 33 useful words (эцндялик лексика)34 mag ine october 2010 azerbaijan xalqların birliyi oyunları tarixi britaniya imperiyası daxilində xoşməramlılıq və anlayış nümayiş etdirmək məqsədilə pan-britaniya idman yarışı təşkil etmək ideyasını irəli sürən ilk şəxs eşli kuper olub. 1928-ci ildə məşhur kanadalı atlet bobbi robinsona ilk birlik oyunlarını təşkil etmək vəzifəsi tapşırıldı. bu oyunlar 1930-cu ildə hamilton şəhərində, ontario, kanadada keçirildi cə burada on bir ölkədən 400 atlet iştirak edirdi. o zamandan bəri birlik oyunları hər dörd ildən bir keçirilir, yalnız bir dəfə - ikinci dünya müharibəsi ərəfəsində bu oyunlara ara verilmişdi. oyunlar müxtəlif adlarla tanınmışdır, məs. britaniya imperiya oyunları, dostluq oyunları və britaniya birlik oyunları. 1978ci ildən bəri isə bu oyunlar xalqların birliyi oyunları adlanır. ilk vaxtlarda yalnız tək yarış idmanları keçirilən birlik oyunlarının 1998-ci ildə kuala lumpurda təşkil edilməsi ilə idman növlərində bir sıra dəyişikliklər oldu, kriket, xokkey və netboll idman oyunları da siyahıya daxil edildi. 2001-ci ildə birlik oyunlarının əsas dəyərləri olaraq oyun hərəkatı insanlıq, bərabərlik və tale dəyərlərini əsas götürdü. bu dəyərlər xalqların birliyi çərçivəsində minlərlə insanı ruhlandırır və oyunları keçirmənin geniş mandatını simvolizə edir. olimpiya oyunlarından sonra birlik oyunları dünyada ən böyük ikinci idman bayramıdır. bu oyunlar hər dörd ildən bir, amma olimpiya oyunları arasında keçirilir. oyunlar əvvəl britaniya imperiya oyunları adı ilə tanınırdı. ilk birlik oyunları 1930cu ildə hamilton, kanadada keçirilmişdi. 10cu th birlik oyunları 1974cü ildə kraystçörç, yeni zelandiya, 11ci 1978ci ildə edmonton (kanada), 12ci 1982ci ildə brisbeyn (avstraliya), 13cü 1986cı ildə edinburq (şotlandiya), 14cü idman oyunları 1990cı ildə oklend (yeni zelandiya) və 15ci idman oyunları 1994cü ildə viktoriya (kanada) şəhərlərində keçirilmişdir ki, burada record sayda 64 ölkədən (36 ildən sonra birlik idmançılarının siyahısına qoşulan cənubi afrika) ümumilkdə təxminən 3,350 atlet birlik oyunları ötən 80 il ərzində keçirilən ən nüfüzlu idman hadisələrindən biri hesab edilir. bu il keçiriləcək oyunlara dehli ev sahibliyi edəcək, amma açılış mərasiminə çox az bir müddət qalan vaxtda təhlükəsizlik və gigiyena problemləri hindistanın imicinə müəyyən qədər zərbə vurub.october 2010 mag ine 35 azerbaijan oyunların keçirilmə ardıcıllığı: oyunların keçirildiyi yer il iştirak edən ölkələrin sayı 1 hamilton, canada 1930 11 2 london, united kingdom 1934 16 3 sydney, australia 1938 15 4 auckland, new zealand 1950 12 5 vancouver, canada 1954 24 6 cardiff, united kingdom 1958 35 7 perth, australia 1962 35 8 jamaica, west indies 1966 34 9 edinburgh, united kingdom 1970 42 10 christchurch, new zealand 1974 38 11 edmonton, canada 1978 48 12 brisbane, australia 1982 47 13 edinburgh, united kingdom 1986 26 14 auckland, new zealand 1990 55 15 victoria, canada 1994 64 16 kuala lumpur, malaysia 1998 70 17 manchester, united kingdom 2002 72 18 melbourne, australia 2006 71 19 new delhi, india 2010 iştirak etmişdi. 1990cı ildə müstəqllik əldə edən namibiya da ilk dəfə bu oyunlara honq konqda keçirilən birlik oyunlarında qoşulmuşdu və onun bu oyunlarda son iştirakı 1997ci ildə çinə birləşdirilməzdən əvvəl olmuşdu. idman növləri birlik oyunları federasiyası tərəfindən ümumilikdə təsdiqlənmiş 31 idman növü və 7 para-idman növü vardır. ox atma, atletika, badminton, basketbol, boks, velosiped sürmə, tramplindən suya tullanma, gimnastika, otüstü xokkey, loun bouls, netboll, reqbi, atıcılıq, skvoş, üzgüçülük, stolüstü tennis, tennis, üç növ idman məşqindən ibarət yarış, voleybol, ağırlıqqaldırma və güləş birlik oyunlarından yalnız bəziləridir. 2010cu ildə dehlidə baş tutacaq birlik oyunlarında idman növləri aşağıdakı kimi sıralanıb: 1. atletika (yüngül) - atletika oyunlarına daxildir: • qaçış (100, 200, 400, 800, 1500, 3000, 5000, 10000 metr məsafə36 mag ine october 2010 azerbaijan • üzrə; 110, 100 və 400 metr məsafə üzrə maneələri aşmaqla; 4x100 və 4x400 metr məsafə üzrə növbə ilə • mizraqla tullanma, üç dəfəyə tullanma, uzununa və hündürlüyə tullanma • onnövçülük (kişilər üçün) və yeddinövçülük (qadınlar üçün) • mizraqsız tullanma, disk atma və çəkic atma • 20 kilometr məsafəyə gəzmə və marafon 2. su idman növləri -. su idman növləri aşağıdakı qruplara bölünür: • üzgüçülük (batterflay, sərbəst, brass və arxası üstə üzgüçülük) bu qrupda 38 qızıl medal var • tramplindən suya tullanma • sinxron üzgüçülük 3. ox atma 4. boks 5. badminton - badminton oyunu ilk dəfə 1966cı ildə kinqstonda təşkil edilən birlik oyunlarında təqdim edilmişdi 6. velosiped yarışı - velosiped yarışı da ilk dəfə 1934cü ildə londonda keçirilən birlik oyunlarına daxil edilmişdi 7. gimnastika - gimnastika ilk dəfə 1978ci ildə edmonton birlik oyunlarında təqdim edilmişdi. gimnastika özü bədii və ritmik gimnastika oyunlarına bölünür 8. xokkey - xokkey ilk dəfə 1998ci ildə lumpurda keçirilən birlik oyunlarına daxil edilmişdi 9. loun boll 10. netboll - bu oyun ilk dəfə 1998ci ildə lumpurda keçirilən birlik oyunlarına daxil edilmişdi. netboll eksklüziv olaraq qadınlar üçün təşkil edilmiş yarışdır. 11. reqbi - (kişilər üçün) - reqbi oyunu ilk dəfə 1998ci ildə keçirilən birlik oyunlarına daxil edilmişdi. 12. atıcılıq - atıcılıq ilk dəfə 1966cı ildə kinqstonda keçirilən birlik oyunlarına daxil edilmişdi. atıcılıq özü aşağıdakı 3 qrupa bölünür: • tam dolu tüfəng • kiçik diametrli tüfəng 13. skvoş - bu oyun ilk dəfə 1998ci ildə lumpurda keçirilən birlik oyunlarına daxil edilmişdi. 14. tennis - tennis ilk möhtəşəm debütünü dehlidə edəcək stolüstü tennis - stolüstü tennis ilk dəfə 2002ci ildə mançesterdə keçirilən birlik oyunlarına daxil edilmişdi. 15. ağırlıqqaldırma - bu oyun ilk dəfə 1950ci ildə oklenddə keçirilən birlik oyunlarına daxil edilmişdi. bu oyunda 15 müxtəlif kateqoriya üzrə yarış olacaq 16. güləş - 19cu birlik oyunlarında keçiriləcək bu dəfəki güləş oyunu 2 qrup və 14 müxtəlif kateqoriyaya bölünür boykotlar tarix boyu birlik oyunları siyasi boykotlardan əziyyət çəkmişdir. bunların əksəriyyəti cənubi afrikada irqi ayrıseçkilik məsələləri ilə bağlı olmuşdur. nigeriya 1978ci ildə cənubi afrika ilə əlaqədar birlik oyunlarını boykot etmiş, afrika, asiya və karib adasından olan 59 ölkədən 32si birlik oyunlarını tetçer hakimiyyətinin cənubi afrika idman təmsilçilərinə münasibətinə görə boykot etmişdi. boykotlar həmçinin cənubi afrika səbəbindən 1974, 1982 və 1990cı illərdə də olmuşdur. faktlar 1930cu ildən 1950ci ilə kimi iştirakçıların paradında öndə yalnız böyük britaniyanın bayrağı aparılırdı. 1958ci ildən bəri bukinqem sarayından açılış mərasiminə atletlərin apardığı estafet çubuğunda da dəyişiklik olmuşdur. estafet çubuğunun üzərində kraliça elizavetanın atletlərə salamı həkk olunmuşdur. estafet çubuğunu daşıyan şəxs adətən oyunlara ev sahibliyi edən ölkənin məşhur idmançısı olur. bütün iştirakçıl ölkələr ingilis əlifbası sırasında düzlürlər, yalnız öndə gedən ölkə istisnadır: o, bundan əvvəl keçirilən oyunlara ev sahibliyi etmiş ölkədir və hazırkı oyunlara ev sahibliyi edən ölkə isə paradın ən sonunda gəlir.. 2006cı ildə ölkələr coğrafi ərazi üzrə əlifba sırası ilə düzülmüşdülər. stadionda quraşdırılmış üç bayraq dirəyi medal mərasimlərində aşağıdakı ölkələr üçün nəzərdə tutulmuşdur: bundan əvvəl keçirilən oyunlara ev sahibliyi edən əvvəlki ölkə, hazırda keçirilən oyunlara ev sahibliyi edən ölkə və növbəti dəfə keçiriləcək oyunlara ev sahibliyi edən ölkə açılış mərasimində hərbi qüvvələr olimpiya oyunlarında olduğundan daha fəaldırlar. bunun əsas səbəbi köhnə imperiyanın britaniya hərbi ənənələrinə olan dərin hörmətidir.october 2010 mag ine 37 azerbaijan lesson 13 (дярс 13) exercise 1 - celebrations look at the list of days below. which of these are your favourite? (ашаьда эюстярилян эцнляря нязяр йетирин. сиз щансы байрамлар хошлайырсыныз?) birthday (ад эцнц) wedding day (той мяълиси) christmas day (милад) new year’s day (йени ил) mother’s day (аналар эцнц) valentine’s day (севэилиляр эцнц) novruz holiday (новруз байрамы) the independence day (мцстягиллик эцнц) victory day (гялябя эцнц) happy birthday occasion arrange party relatives celebration opportunity to get together present balloons candles to blow out the candles decoration decorate dream father mother ад эцнцн мцбаряк мцнасибят тяшкил етмяк шянлик гощумлар гейд етмяк имкан бирликдя йыьышмаг щядиййя щава шарлары шамлар шамлары сюндцрмяк bязяк bязямяк aрзу aта aна exercise 2 ашаьыда эюстярилян диалогу охуйун вя суаллары ъавабландырын. it is mother’s birthday. (анамын ад эцнц) father: tomorrow is your mum’s birthday. let’s arrange a great party for her. (сабащ ананын ад эцнцдцр. эял, онун цчцн бойцк шянлик тяшкил едяк). son: that is a good idea. (бу йахшы фикирдир.) we’ll get up early in the morning, when mum is still asleep. we’ll clean the house and go to the shops to buy some lovely food. (биз сящяр тез дурарыг, анан щяля йатанда еви йыьышдырарыг, вя дадлы йемякляр алмаьа маьазайа эедярик) father: we’ll have enough time to decorate our flat. (бизим, еви бязямяйя кифайят гядяр вахтымыз олаъаг) son: dad, don’t forget to buy flowers and presents. i want you to buy some fish and meat too. (ата, эцл вя щядиййя алмаьы унутма. истяйирям, сян балыг вя ят аласан). dad: don’t worry, i’ll get it all. i’ll buy a big cake, candles, sweets, box of chocolates, fruits, flowers and a beautiful blouse as a present for her. (бунун цчцн наращат олма, мян торт, шамлар, ширниййат, шоколад гутусу, мейвя, эцл вя эюзял кофта алаъаьам) son: this celebration will be a good opportunity for us to get together. i think our relatives and friends will come too. (гонаглыг бир йеря йыьышмаг цчцн йахшы имкандыр. фикирляширям ки, гощумларымыз вя достларымыз да эяляр) dad: oh, yes! your mum will be so happy with this surprise. (щя! анан бу гонаглыгдан шад вя хошбяхт олаъаг) son: i agree! i’ll stay at home and help you. we will make it a great day for her, and let’s do everything we can to make her happy. (дейирям, мян дя евдя галарам вя сяня кюмяк едярям. биз гярара эялдик ки, биз бу эцнц мцщцм елмялийик вя щяр шей етмялийик ки, анам шад олсун). when mother awoke in the morning, they congratulated her on her birthday, gave her presents and sang the song: (ана ойананда онлар ону тябрик етдиляр, щядиййя вердиляр вя онун цчцн мащны охудулар) happy birthday to you (ад эцнцн мцбаряк!) happy birthday, dear mother! (ад эцнцн мцбаряк, язиз ана!) the party was great fun. (шянлик чох шян кечди) before going to bed, she said it had been the most wonderful day of her life. (йатмаздан яввял ана ана деди ки, бу онун щяйатында ян эюзял эцн иди!) bu ay eti sizя байрам вя шянликляр zamаnы истифадя едя биляъяйиниз сюзляри юyrяdir. файдалы сюзляр (vocabulary)38 mag ine october 2010 the thing some thing is nesting somewhere inside my bedroom wall. at first, i thought the noise was probably just coming from upstairs, where my mother was staying at the time. you see, we have an attic conversion, which means nothing can nest in the roof’s eaves or, wherever nesting usually occurs. but then again, what would i know about usual nesting places? my worst experience back home was probably the rats in the basement of our apartment block. whenever i came home late in the evening, i would walk into the block and make as much noise as i could; stamping, clapping, and often, i’d see a rat whooshing past me. but now, i live in countryside. there is wildlife all around me and i am not too familiar with its habits and the noises it makes. in baku, the only noise at night was the road police shouting in their megaphones, and the car wheels screeching as the drunken youth sped away. so, when i first heard the crumbling, rustling kind of noise in the wall behind my bed, i thought it was my mother up in the attic, doing something at 5am. slightly annoyed, i got up and tiptoed upstairs, to ask if there was any particular reason she was trying to wake me up. poor mother, of course, was sound asleep. so, after we established it was not her, we realised it was someone else. the noise was pretty disturbing and always happened in the very early hours of the morning. it sounded like someone was trying to build (or demolish?) something inside the wall right behind my head. i applied a process of deduction. you see, whilst husband, the child, and i were away for a few days, my mother reported seeing a baby creature of some bizarre origin she did not recognise. she said it was pretty big, without any wings, but with four legs and a trapeze shaped head. mother said it must have fallen from the top of the house somewhere, as it landed straight into the dog’s bed she left in the garden early in the morning. concerned that the dog would eat the creature, she quickly picked up the mat it was on, and threw the trapeze headed baby into the bushes, never to be seen again. none of it sounded good to me. “you must have a cavity somewhere…” my boss pointed out. i was not sure if this question was good harassment material, but decided to let it drop. it is a tough job market out there at the moment. the wall, i corrected, might have some sort of a cavity. i just can’t imagine where, and how to catch whoever it is constructing something inside it. “i bet it is a rat!” i said. but the boss, feeling guilty about the cavity comment, assured me that the chances of it being a rat are slim. “rats like to move inside houses in london, only because they have no better places to live” he explained patiently. “since you have a nice countryside around you, it probably is not a rat, but a squirrel. call the council.” i called the council. “are you sure it is a squirrel?” they asked. “because, if it turns out to be a bird, we can’t get rid of it. birds are protected.” no, i was not sure. i was only basing my assumptions on the evidence given by my mother and the noise the creature was making. then, someone kindly pointed out that it could also be a glis glis. i never before heard of such a thing so had to google it. incredibly cute. except for the litter of 11 and being partial to the house wiring. the problem with glis glis is of course is that they are also ‘protected’. after a few more nights of waking up at 4.30am, i told husband we had no choice but to set up some poisonous trap on the garage roof (without telling the council, of course). would not want to get in trouble for murdering the protected animals. yet, after weeks of disturbed sleep, i was ready to kill whatever it was and eat its babies. interest a little known blog which found its way onto the internet earlier this year is becoming increasingly more popular every day. an azeri mother , who has relocated to english suburbia, is sharing her experiences and the cultural differences of coming from baku, to daily life in a village just outside of london. my mother reported seeing a baby creature of some bizarre origin she did not recognise. she said it was pretty big, without any wings, but with four legs and a trapeze shaped head scary azeri in suburbsoctober 2010 mag ine 39 and then, without any warning or culmination, the noise just stopped. “it hatched” husband announced thoughtfully. last night, a different kind of noise, also of a definitely organic nature, broke the peaceful silence outside. it kept repeating for a while as we lay there, wondering what it could be. in the end, we agreed it was possibly an agonising cow being tortured somewhere in a field nearby by whatever hatched in our wall. oh, i miss the baku road police… shall we go back to my ....lada? so here we are again. the summer is officially over (not that we had any) this morning when we had to switch on the central heating. my mother went back home after a let’s just say, a reasonably lengthy visit. last week at the school gate, a local mummy asked me how long my mother stayed this time and was genuinely horrified. “i would not let my mother stay with me for a week, let alone that long!” she exclaimed. “i can’t stand anyone in my kitchen! the only person allowed to cook in my kitchen is me!” she said. i laughed. i love people to cook for me. i will happily allow anyone to cook, bake, and wash up in my kitchen as often as they’d like! not a problem. i am quite generous like that. i was then thinking, what is wrong with me? you see, it does not annoy me when my mother lives with us for a couple of months. even having my in-laws staying here does not annoy me. i understand that it should. i mean, husband and i might need occasional privacy. what if we want to lounge around naked all day, or throw a wild swinging party? but no, it never annoys me. thinking about it, i was wondering if a big part of my tolerance of the parents in the house comes from the custom of living with them in baku. normally, we all stayed at home until we married, if not for a while after. not every young married couple could afford a place of their own, and there were no mortgages to take. back in my baku years, i only knew one girl who lived separately from her parents and had her own flat, but that was only because she was a divorcee and had her own money, which meant she was not asking anyone, including her parents, how to live her life. however, i have recently heard of quite a few independent unmarried azeri girls getting their own places, and moving out to live on their own. of course, i strongly suspect that a large part of this old custom to live with parents comes from the idea that one should not have ‘relations’ before marriage - especially girls. living under the same roof as their watchful fathers and ever-suspicious mothers, girls had to come up with clever ways of sneaking about. i remember one of my cousins, a very traditional azeri girl, applying make-up in the dark apartment block, in a hurry before her dates, and then quickly removing it all before coming home in the evening. so i am thrilled to hear that things are changing. i mean, good for you, the new generation of azeri women! a bit sad though that there will be no more kissing on park benches as early as 6am (personally witnessed while walking the dog on a number of occasions - in good weather only, of course), or, ladas in isolated dark alleyways with steamy windows. in a way, the comfort of your own apartment is almost as boring as wearing make-up without having to hide it from your dad. where is the challenge in that? but overall, a good change, i say. freedom is coming your way, just be careful how you use it. to read more of scary azeri’s blogs, visit: www.scaryazeri.blogspot.com interest i love people to cook for me. i will happily allow anyone to cook, bake, and wash up in my kitchen as often as they’d like! not a problem. i am quite generous like that40 mag ine october 2010 interest behind the wheel last month, baku resident mark thomas, shared with his personal diary from the world 24 hours of spa gt endurance race at spa-francorchamps race track in belgium. it’s green for go as mark guides us through qualifying and the nail-biting race itself.october 2010 mag ine 41 interest qualifiying on thursday morning, we took the no.52 porsche gt3 r out for its first track time in the pouring down rain with gianluca going first, followed by me. i have driven spa in the rain several times, but today was just extremely unusual. there were streams of water flowing across the track on the straight between raidillon and les combes which caused the car to fully aquaplane while flat in 6th gear and 250 kmh. there is something to be said about the feeling you get as a driver knowing you are hurtling down a wet track and you have just lost all physical contact with the asphalt because your tyres are sitting onto of a pool of water! the car literally floats for 50 metres until you regain control. needless to say, the session was only good to test your wet track knowledge and bravery, and that was about it. just after lunch time, we had our pre-qualifying track session which started in the dry, but again by the time i got in the car and did one lap, it was pouring down rain, so we just parked the car for the rest of the session. we were 20th overall - just behind our sister car no. 53 porsche. we were hopeful that it would dry out in the evening for the three qualifying sessions - i believed we had a pretty good chance to be in the top 15 overall and top 5 of our class, but we would have to wait and see. qualifying was a story of great determination for us. during the first session, gianluca went out and only put in 3 laps on a wet but drying track, using rain tyres. as he brought the no. 52 porsche into the box, we had a lot of oil smoke coming from under the bonnet. there was an oil leak somewhere that was dropping oil on the exhaust system - a recipe for an engine fire like you see on tv , where the whole car becomes engulfed in flames. luckily we found it before it became a catastrophe, but it required the mühlner crew to pull the entire engine/ gearbox assembly from the car and strip down one cylinder bank to the camshafts to find a suspected gasket defect. it was promptly replaced; engine buttoned up and reinstalled into the car. this whole job, completed in about 2 1/2 hours, would take a week in your local mark with his prized trophies a race against time42 mag ine october 2010 interest garage. when we pushed the starter button, there was no spark. the flywheel sensor that tells the engine management system that the crankshaft is turning and to allow spark to the plugs was defective and had to be replaced. thankfully, we had several porsche factory engineers standing by and one of their technicians came by and helped rewire the sensor. with 20 minutes to spare in the final qualifying session, armand took the no.52 out to put in a qualifying lap on slicks and the result was a 2:31 time - just behind our sister no. 53 car in 32nd place overall. not where we wanted to be, but it’s a long race and at least we were in the show. so, a lot of anxious moments leading up to a very compressed qualifying session for us, but a great testament to the quality and capability of the mühlner crew. they are simply fab. rest friday was a day off for the drivers, but the crew took the engine and gearbox back out of the no.52 porsche for a final check before the race, as well as preparing the car with new brake pads and rotors and reset the suspension to be a bit less aggressive on the tyres for the race. the pace is relentless, and we haven’t even started the race yet… the weather was expected to be mixed for the race and rain highly likely. the quality of the drivers in this year’s spa 24 was exceptional - with several former formula 1 drivers participating. our best chance was based on staying out of the pitbox and running a high reliability race. i suspected the early leaders would be in a sprint, which at spa often leads to tears. our goal was to be there till the end, hopefully in first place. race day we started saturday’s spa 24hr race in high spirits. all the problems we had experienced during the qualifying sessions with a persistent oil leak were behind us. the boys had done a great job preparing the car for saturday and i took the morning warm up just to check things out. the car felt solid and very easy to drive. we had a very strong driver line up with armand and jerome having abundant local knowledge and experience with spa in all conditions. gianluca was blazing fast in a gt3 r and i brought the years of experience working with the mühlner crew. armand took the start in the dry and without much effort, was running near the top 10 before the end of his stint - up from 32nd is a testament to armand’s capability and the patience required to pick and choose when and where to pass slower cars. gianluca took over and put in consistently rapid laps solidifying our top 10 place and charging into 9th. jerome was up next and had a solid stint when it began to rain quite heavy and then it came my time to get in the car, just as darkness was setting in. as always, tyre selection at spa, like the nurburgring, is not for the faint hearted and requires a the no.52 porsche gt3 r in actionoctober 2010 mag ine 43 interest great deal of thought…and luck. there will be parts of the track that are soaking wet and require rain tyres while other bits will be dry and tear up those same tyres. i took a look at the sky and saw some light between the rain clouds, so went for slicks. it was initially a wise decision as the track did start to dry and allowed me to put in some pretty competitive times, catching up 2-3 places on cars running slower on wets. then, the rain came back with a vengeance and i had the drive of my life…slicks in pouring down rain for at least 30 minutes. there were several times when i was so close to going off the track for a really big crash and it was only having that little bit of heat in the slicks that kept me on the track and out of the barriers. in hindsight, wets would have been the way to go, but we would have lost too much time changing mid-stint, so i had to stick with my initial call for slicks. by the time my stint was over, we were back into the top 10 overall, and 2nd in gt3 class. it was a great stint and one that i will remember for a lifetime for the sheer excitement and terror combined. armand was back into the car for his second stint on slicks in a light rain. he was doing a great job when the call came over the radio, “no drive…car is at a standstill at track edge at far end of track”. in the spa 24hr, there can be no outside assistance when a car stops and it cannot be towed back to the pits. a post-race inspection revealed a sheared drive shaft through the clutch assembly - unusual for a porsche and the whole assembly was shipped to the porsche technical centre in weissach to be analysed. after 7 hours, our race was done. what a bitter disappointment considering the quality of the team we had - we all believed we had a real shot at an overall podium and certainly a gt3 win. to that end, our sister car, the no. 53 mühlner porsche did just that…it won the gt3 class which was a deserving win for them. motorsports are part skill, part chance, part luck. unfortunately for us, the luck and chance parts were not in our favour. there is always next year… my plans are now focused on the next race. for certain, i will be back to the rolex 24 hour race at daytona international speedway in january, in a porsche with the mühlner team. this will be their first time to daytona and my second time. as with spa, we will be looking to win our gt3 class against some stiff competition from well established teams and drivers. i will also be looking to do some racing in dubai between now and january to keep the skills current. and lastly, i am looking to start a porsche club in baku for porsche owners and enthusiasts to participate in porsche track days abroad – possibly at spa, dubai or the nurburgring. there is an abundance of motorsport interest in azerbaijan, but unfortunately no outlet for participation. i’d be interested in hearing from folks in baku with a similar passion for porsche’s and motorsport. email me at: mark@m3lracing.com mark’s ‘office’44 mag ine october 2010 interest i’ve watched three football games over the last few days: two involving scotland and one involving azerbaijan. now call me a traitor, but i’ve decided to bite the bullet and start supporting my adopted country azerbaijan. giving up my fully paid-up, long suffering membership of the tartan army won’t be an easy transition but in the interests of my continuing sanity, it’s a step that i’m willing to take. the first of the aforementioned games was czech republic (1) v scotland (0) in prague. this was the venue where the world saw the first deployment of the 4-6-0 formation i.e. playing without a striker. now anybody who knows anything about football will already have realised that there’s something fundamentally wrong with this innovative tactic. yes; if you don’t have a striker it’s highly unlikely that you’re going to score goals. somebody obviously omitted to tell the scotland manager, craig levein however and surprise surprise, we didn’t score. bearing in mind that scotland haven’t scored an away goal or indeed won an away match for two years, you would think that this would have been recognised as a problem and a subsequent plan put in place to correct this anomaly. the second game was azerbaijan (1) v turkey (0) at the tofiq bahramov stadium in baku. without a doubt, the best game i’ve watched in the national stadium. the game was a 30,000 sell out and each and every one of us was treated to a masterclass of counterattacking football from the azeri’s. turkey are ranked 21st in world football while azerbaijan are a lowly 102nd but it would have been difficult for the uninformed bystander to recognise which one was which on the evidence of this game. turkey fell behind in the first half to what we call in local football circles, ‘the azeri corner’ which was executed to perfection with two players dummying the low hit corner kick and the third player bursting the net with his shot. the second half could have seen azerbaijan going further ahead whilst soaking up turkish pressure and hitting on the counter attack. all in all, a great performance by the azeri’s and one which shows the progress they are making under berti vogts management. the third game was scotland (2) v spain (3) at hampden park, glasgow. once again, the stadium was filled to the rafters with the tartan army’s finest foot soldiers who provide the kind of vocal backing that should scare the ball into the oppositions net. spain are the reigning world and european champions and generally recognised as one of the best football teams ever. scotland however, have a habit of beating world champions on home soil and are a hard team to beat at hampden, so, the stage was set for an epic encounter. without going into too much detail, spain went 2 up, scotland brought it back to 2-2 and spain then got the winner from a defensive error. the tragedy of this game is that it confirmed the scottish team’s penchant for glorious failure. over years of following scotland and taking planes, trains and automobiles to the far flung corners of europe to support them, we’ve suffered the same. what’s the point of putting in a great performance at home against the best team in the world if you can’t go abroad and get enough points against some of the world’s lesser teams to qualify for the major tournaments. anyway, the point of this article, for those of you that don’t know, is that berti vogts used to have the thankless task of being scotland’s manager before being cast aside by a scottish football association who have fostered and resided over the demise of scottish international football. if scotland could play with the same effort as the azeri’s and master the art of attacking on the break, we wouldn’t have to be resorting to 4-6-0. so if you’re reading this berti; come back, all is forgiven! man to man the man who has an opinion on every subject matter is here to tell us what’s on his mind this month…october 2010 mag ine 45 interest46 mag ine october 2010 charity imagine a healthy and alert mind trapped inside a body that cannot move, but can still think and feel. that’s the devastating reality of motor neurone disease (mnd). mnd, also known as als or lou gehrigs disease, is a rapidly progressive fatal disease. it attacks the motor neurons that send messages from the brain to the muscles, leaving people unable to walk, talk or feed themselves. about 5,000 people in the uk have mnd at any one time. with no cure, half die within 14 months of diagnosis. worldwide, about 100,000 people die from it - with perhaps many more dying undiagnosed. in november 2010, a team of over twenty athletes from various countries are hoping to help bring about the end of mnd by attempting an international challenge to raise money for the motor neurone disease association. in just four days, they will run 100km over rough and unforgiving terrain across the sahara desert and through the atlas mountains with a typical daily elevation of 2000m thrown in for good measure (for those familiar with the scottish highlands, that’s over two munros). in crossing the hamada desert they will be breaking new ground, as this forbidding landscape has never been run before. amongst those taking part in this challenge is a frequent visitor to azerbaijan; 21 year old barney johnson, the son of baku residents graham and sarah johnson. graham, an environmental manager with bp , has lived in baku with his wife and youngest son henry for over four years. inspired by barney’s commitment, over the last few weeks their spare time has been spent gathering sponsorship for him through their own fundraising events. despite his youth, barney is no stranger to challenge or charity. when just 17, he travelled with a small team of school friends to belarus, where, with money they had raised in the uk, they helped renovate a remote village orphanage. back in scotland, he is a regular supporter of a major social issues charity and has also been involved in a variety of community activities, particularly through his volunteer work as a qualified lifeguard and first aider. barney currently keeps fit by training with the military in scotland. when he heard of the morocco challenge, he saw how by swapping running through the rains of glasgow to the deserts of africa, he could help raise both money and awareness to fight an otherwise often forgotten but terrible disease. every pound and manat that he raises will be going direct to mnd association. the mnd association funds and promotes research worldwide to bring about an end to mnd. until then, it does all it can to enable people with mnd to receive the best care, achieve the highest quality of life possible, and die with dignity. and it does not end there. mnd does all it can to support the families and carers of people with mnd. it also ensures information on biomedical research and advances in care is shared worldwide through its international symposium. having lived much of his life overseas, it was this international aspect of the mnda’s activities that were particularly appealing to barney. barney is running the extra miles to help make this all happen. your sponsorship or donation will make all the difference, whether you are a company or an individual. please consider donating. all donations will go entirely to the mnda. mnda…the british charity with the global outlook. charity number 294354 for more information on mnd see: www.mndassociation.org or www. patricktheoptimist.org donate by visiting barney’s page at: www.justgiving.com/barney-johnson or contact sarah johnson on: 050 250 6356 or email: manxkuwaitsarah@yahoo.co.uk run morocco 2010 baku is helping to fight motor neurone disease/ alsoctober 2010 mag ine 47 charity run morocco 201048 mag ine october 2010 event what a year it has been. the numbers in baku may be dwindling somewhat, but the amount of socialising has not! we have been lucky enough to attend black tie balls, birthday parties, leaving soirees, weddings, halloween parties, charity events, fancy dress fun and some gatherings that are “just for the sake of it”! in honour of all the fun that is still to be had in baku, we have put together some of our favourite photographs from the past 12 months. so enjoy, and please keep the invitations coming! a year in pictures… the az magazine team matt sutherland, nicole de lalouvieve & nina wahlberg tatyana & bruce bisset natalya marquand & lisa wall dale, paul & ben matthews with wayne o’brien xerxes pochkhanavala & catherine cleeve doug sachs, nick ridout & tonci glassner ester gaedecke, lyama hartley & kyamilya gaibova ahmed ismailov & farhad mamedov minai massimova & roman kofler zaur karimov, konul azimzadeh, dena barmas, nasiba muradkhanova, aylan aghamaliyeva & svetlana popova aubrey stock, dan gotham & amanda lane nigar escudero & clemens arnold sandy & dave ilgar & elnara veliev irada & aydin aliev emma & horst triller chinara, fidan, ulkar & sabina ahmet koksal, natalia and ilham orkhan & ulya simon and yuliya with the bride’s parents narmina, sabina, elnara & alyona david buckley & pamela whyte taleh heydarov with mayina & morgan phillipsoctober 2010 mag ine 4950 mag ine october 2010 event steve mcguiness, h.e. caroyln browne, mayina & morgan phillips & peter johnson huseyin gumus & cheryl pedere helen & ian rodger nasir & shabnam ali sandra & peter robinson akemi hoshi & grit helbich mark lewis & nina berger seymour khalilov & rashid javanshir laura phillips & richard ashton peter & kay scott sean & sharon o’kane altai effendiyev & alum bati chris mckenzie & grant cargill dancing to the gay gordons vladimir ferete & slava shrigra sabina gafarova, trina mcintyre, lisa martin & denise gauld terry guthrie, santa claus & martin adams mamed hamidov & huseyn sadikhzadeh elena ukleina, samira babayeva & maryam mirzaeva vale of atholl pipe band adam & angela gordon with stuart davidson michaela & ali murray marina & gert steyn peter & elmira waddel pete miller , phyllis lyon, ben hodgson & linda miller cory & kelly polk with kevin & aki boschoctober 2010 mag ine 5152 mag ine october 2010 event elmira mirzayeva, saadat khalagbayli, ina mossin & liv endresen sangeetha, janvi, sarita, brij, darshana, anju & usha paul thorley & amanda hopper martin adams & tamasin yana fuad & irada shamilov ivetta vorobey & hugh cochrane david quelhorst & sandra gentile becky & phil cunningham with linda bashford clara ochoa, andreina tovar & clara cardenas loretto daza, mary monical & bridget dennis-bonier david da silva & martha tarazona rafael rosales, joselyn salazar , keegan lambe & juan ramirez vafa bayramova, jannet abdullayeva & nigar huseynova roger & kathleen blain yana sandler & keith barnes yuliya guliyeva & ruslan mutahirov jim & vonnie brown maria & paul mcintyre howard & naila lyn irene & steve reid mike, stephanie & caroline chalmers ismael askerov, nuran kerimov & hasan hagverdiyev dale & paul matthews latifa & peter williams mike steel & belinda rowland deb rawlins & joanne moss martin meredew & sean o’kane june ross, di rawlins & janet barteloctober 2010 mag ine 5354 mag ine october 2010 event ian, belal & kim ian, belal & kim sue & susan nailya & aleksei veliyev thomas meyer , johan harsevoort & farid gurbanov richard rainbow & sean wortham vincent cassidy, andrew wood & pamela cassidy natalya, sheila & anne miriam huth & siv forlie ronald schulz & hakan tin nargiz hayatova with elshan & lala jafarova kamran gadirov & stefan kuehr billy & dawn quinn rukhsara hajiyeva & narmin manafova darren & dawn bonney ian & donna farmer maftuna ismailova, claudia gross-selbeck, h.e. peer stanchina, gunter gross-selbeck & kanta stanchina rene & yana bienz with benjamin & mariam krause h.e. debnath shaw, gudrat guliyev & lutful kabir h.e. nicolae ureche & mrs. ureche with h.e. krzysztof krajewscy & aldona krajewsca col. doug sachs & ramiz nadjafov gordon noble, tommy johnson & robert logan luca cattedri & govanni skopa shahla aliyeva, mustafa rassouli & les widdecombe robin bennett, vanessa raine, mayina & morgan phillips steve chapman, armando waser & duncan barton mr meredew, kate brown, chris mcgrath, malcolm page & grey brown beka, jade, tim, julia & danielleoctober 2010 mag ine 55 steve chapman, armando waser & duncan barton56 mag ine october 2010 event over 250 guests from the ministry of culture and tourism, azerbaijani tour agencies, and various western businesses were invited last month to the official book launch of hg2 baku. the book, along with a french language guide to azerbaijan by editions mondéo, was launched by minister abulfaz garayev . publisher tremayne carew-pole gave a short speech, as did author and photographer ben illis, who even spoke briefly in russian! hg2 baku is now available locally for 18azn from branches of ali & nino bookstore, chiraq books and the kiosk at the us embassy, as well as at good bookshops worldwide. hg2 baku is also available branded with your corporate logo for use as a corporate gift. for more information, please contact: ben@hg2.com nargiz abbasova, ali jafarov & iskender gurbanov donna denton & natalya marquand sanan jumaliyev, yusif shafiyev & javad aliyev bakhtiyar nasibov & azad ahmedov author , ben illis sabina shakhbazova, tural shainoglu & ulker mirzaliyeva ahmed niknazar & amina halilova minister of culture & tourism, abulfaz garayev aytan & kifayet huseinova peter schnyder tremayne carew pole elvira mammadova & faxri hilali irina stepanova & esmira huseynova parvin evji & turkan ismaylova dinara agalieva & sevda djumayeva mary beth panneton & sarita vaid aynur & konul gadjiyeva vafa & afag mustafayeva leila verdiyeva, ilakha zeinalova & kamala khasanova luc aubry & hassan hamuoctober 2010 mag ine 57 event58 mag ine october 2010 event lufthansa group of airlines invited together with hyatt hotels, 300 corporate guests to celebrate the 200 year anniversary of the bavarian october festival. the festival originated from the celebration of the marriage between the prince of bayern and the princess of sachsen in 1810. since then, every year (last time approximately 6 million people) people from all over the world travel to bavaria to celebrate world biggest bier festival in munich. as you can see from below, baku joined in on the party atmosphere! oktoberfest ben wozny, miriam huth & marco graff tatyana starichkova, alyona belova, hakan & vildan tin, h.e. herbert quelle, carmen lochmann, tatyana lautre, siv forlie & gulya abdullayeva alum bati, peter schnyder & puneet tandon chingiz shikhzamanov & irina yarmolayeva farukh huseinzadeh, paulina volodkovskaya-melikova, valerii bogarov & elchin bahshirov irada mammadova & aynura guliyeva carmen & andy lochmann aida patterson, howard lyn, john patterson & naila lyn anar gaziyev, habil musayev & kanan amrahov diana mammadova & john conger guido & grit helbich jacquline graff, sveta ragimova & achim zierov caroline sutciffle & nailya miramova aliyar khashimov & viladi maniyev aynur & abbas kadimov emil aliyarov, lala agaguseinova, inga shetbarshova & elnur atakishiyev gunel & kaan baral with hande apaydin & sevda orr karl heinzwolf, svetlana ragimova & guido dickirmag ine october 2010 59 event lala efenditeva, jamilya rzayeva, saniya mammadova, saadat ismailova & gulya abdullayeva salek azim & elvin gasimov thomas meyer & yuriy sukhostavskiy neimat jafarov, aydan barnes, esra ertunsay & yusuf salman samir abbasov, emil sheikhzamanov & tural gambarov wayne walz & lary vaughn raul waldburger , anny schmidt & rene bienz sevil kesemenli & ulkar godjayeva zaur & gyunay rzayeva rufat kasumov, leila zeinalova, tutal mayilov & farid mammadov tarlan mageramov & vagif salayev zulfiya shamiyeva, aydan & dominique roussat & richard mackie july 2010 mag ine 1360 mag ine october 2010 event to celebrate the birthday of her majesty queen elizabeth ii, the british ambassador dr. carolyn browne, invited a select group to mark the occasion. the event was held by the poolside at the hyatt park hotel, and after toasting to the health of the queen, guests enjoyed a delicious buffet, fine wine, and the opportunity to mingle on a warm evening. queen’s birthday party derek & elena johnson, mark adams & peter jones ali novruzov & mirvari gamramanli bakhtiyar ahundov & john gillespie adam crichton, rena zeynalova & svetlana popova h.e. carolyn browne minister of culture & tourism, abulfaz garayev colin macisaac & fuad mammadov alastair saverimutto & gunel ahmedova azer aleskerov, samir alibeyov, kama hajieva, elsad mikailov & fuad hasanov duncan shakeshaft, h.e. sheikh mubarek bin fahad al-thani & puneet tandon h.e. carolyn browne & minister abulfaz garayev elshan musayev, vafa mammadova, gyulshan samedova & sabina garashova asmer aliyeva, nigar baimova & rena jafarova chianghua & mark hereward, john gillespie robert algie, francis mathew, ck algie & richard rainbowmag ine october 2010 61 event farid gadjiyev, lala chalabizadeh & ilkin mammadov leeann corn & karen davidson maria mcintyre, lynn craig & mayina phillips minaya safarova & alex grigorievs rafig gurbanzadeh, turana mammadova & ziya hajili rena jafarova & afag abdullayeva rod fraser , john quinn, paul mcintyre & terry guthrie afsana tahirova, jalya aliyeva & esmer aliyeva rhian bevan, lyama hartley & gwen burchell richard newcombe & stewart miller sevda mammadova & nelya fraser samir alibayev & adil qurbanov paul clementson & mammad karimov paul kenna & steve reid radifa & fikret akchura pat sawisit, liz collins, eric barnes & aynur jafarova muggyaddyash paizov, gadji salman musayev & gasan mammedzadeh lionel khoo & elnur adilov magomad guluzadeh, alesker mammedli & dadash ahmedov mustafa & shaila rassouli with les widdecombe gasan gadjiyev & asker alekperov ian walker , kevin stephenson & david nicholls62 mag ine october 2010 event family and friends congregated last month to celebrate the wedding of seymur hajiyev and ipak askarova. the couple was introduced to each other by their families, who have known each other for over 25 years. for them both, it was love at first sight and seymur proposed on december 14th, 2009. seymur says, “growing up, i was looking for a great person like ipak and when i was 26, i finally found her. we are both very similar and share the same values in life.” seymur went on to say, “ipak and i both lost our fathers at a young age and so my prosperity in life depends on my wife’s happiness and health. i feel strong, untouchable and undefeated with ipak right beside me. i pray for god to help me make her the happiest woman, every single second.” the reception took place at the mona lisa restaurant. after a lavish feast, the entertainment lasted long into the night with four different singing acts keeping the dance floor packed. congratulations seymur and ipak, long may you be healthy and happy together. wedding bells the newlyweds bouquet anyone? seymur & ipak with anoosh sharghi ipak & seymur take to the dance floor! seymur & ipak with their proud mothers the couple with guests ipak & seymur the groom with his best man and ushers the happy couple with seymur’s work colleagues seymur & ipak with close friends mother & son seymur & ipak enjoying the receptionmag ine october 2010 63 event internations is an international organisation in over 200 cities around the world whose mission is to connect expats living and working abroad. baku had its first internations event on sep-tember 30th at the trendy upscale chinar. former internations members from moscow and paris attended as well as businessmen, educators and other professionals working in baku. if you are an expatriate living in baku, go to: www.internations.org and re-quest an invitation to join this exciting new group and attend their next event in october. you can also contact sheila burch for more information: sheilaburch@hotmail.com. internations anne kennedy enjoying their evening at chinar brian gruber zulfiya khalilova ricardo castaneda salik ozdogan sheila burch teymur talishinsky tom lu64 mag ine october 2010 event the newly appointed german ambassador, h.e. herbert quelle and his wife corinna niestrath-quelle, recently hosted a reception in order to celebrate the day of german unity. this year marked the 20th anniversary of germany’s reunification, which was achieved on october 3rd, 1990. over 400 guests attended the event, held at the park inn hotel baku. german unity day conny camenzind, h.e. mario baldi, samir abdullayev, siv forlie & nicolette baldi h.e. herbert quelle, corinna niestrath-quelle, crassimira & norbert schwientek, claudia panachi & klauz richter andy & carmen lochmann, samir abdullayev, hakan & vildan tin & martin romeder eckard weber with parvana & hans-dieter brockschmidt khalida tagizadeh, ali muradov & orkhan sattarov karl saupe, lutz wache & claudia panachi corinna quelle & florian schroder ali karimli & h.e. herbert quelle alexsandr androwitsch & sieglinde spanlang atilla alpman, rena effendi & hartmut junge farkhad vagabov, esra sandikai & ufuk eroglu h.e. erling skjonsberg, astrid schnitzer & jerome pons heide-katrin trettner & shafiga hadjiahmadova leila aliyeva, emin huseinov & zulfiya veysova kathe brakhan, marc beckmann & christian goenner crassimira schwientek, klauz richter & norbert schwientek azad tagizadeh, zorab gadirov & elchin usub azer aliyev & alekper safarov dr . franz heizmann & tobias breiholz jan brodowski & ali karimli manfredas limantas & hans tischleroctober 2010 mag ine 65 event mattias libig, sissy raith, svetlana libig & christoph beck nina berger , daniel kroos & philip keller tair hudiyev & avaz temirkhan melten & peter booms rufat aliyev & igor yakovenko udo witulski & dr . eith nazim aliyev, elnura jivazadeh & mehti abdullayev sakhid verdiyev, alexandru mosgoreanu & igor bodiu ulrich schubert, christiane meyer & vincent thouvenin beate meier & christa meingast susanne fischer & nigar babayeva vladimir fekete, laura kobia & tanguy cosmao66 mag ine october 2010october 2010 mag ine 6566 mag ine october 2010